Switching from aText to TypeSnap

aText has been a reliable Mac text expander since 2011, and if it’s served you well, that’s a fair reason to stay. But if you’re noticing sporadic updates, a dated interface, or you want an actively maintained app with a modern macOS design, TypeSnap is the natural upgrade. The good news: your snippets come with you. aText exports to CSV, and TypeSnap reads that file directly.

What Transfers

Here’s what comes over cleanly:

• All snippets and their content
• Groups (carried over via the Group column in your CSV export)
• Abbreviations, labels, and full snippet text

What won’t transfer: aText-specific AppleScript actions. These import as plain text placeholders rather than executable scripts. TypeSnap uses JavaScript for dynamic snippets, not AppleScript, so any scripted snippets will need to be recreated manually — either as TypeSnap JavaScript snippets or updated to use fill-in fields.

Step 1: Export from aText

1. Open aText
2. In the sidebar, select all your groups (or the specific groups you want to migrate)
3. Click File → Export
4. Choose CSV as the export format
5. Save the file to a location you can find easily

The exported CSV will include columns for Abbreviation, Label, Content, and Group.

Step 2: Import into TypeSnap

1. Open TypeSnap
2. Click File → Import Snippets…
3. Select your aText CSV file
4. Review the column mapping — TypeSnap will match Abbreviation, Label, and Content to the corresponding columns in your file
5. Click Import

Your snippets will appear in a new Imported group in TypeSnap’s sidebar.

After Import

Open the Imported group in TypeSnap’s sidebar and take a few minutes to scan through it. Most snippets — plain text, fill-ins, date macros — will have come over exactly as expected.

Look out for any snippets that previously used aText’s AppleScript or scripting features. These will appear as plain text in TypeSnap, containing whatever the script source was. You have two options: recreate the logic as a TypeSnap JavaScript snippet, or replace the scripted behavior with a TypeSnap fill-in field (often the simpler approach for things like prompted name insertions).

Once you’ve verified everything is working, you can quit aText and remove it from Login Items (System Settings → General → Login Items) — there’s no need to keep it running alongside TypeSnap.

FAQ

What about aText’s AppleScript snippets?

TypeSnap uses JavaScript for dynamic snippets, not AppleScript. When aText’s AppleScript content is imported, it comes in as plain text — the script itself is preserved as a string, but it won’t execute. You can recreate the logic using TypeSnap’s JavaScript snippet type, or in many cases you can replace the snippet with a TypeSnap fill-in field ({{input:FieldName}}), which is often simpler and more portable.

Can I import aText groups?

Yes — include a Group column in your CSV export (aText supports this in its CSV format). TypeSnap reads the Group column and will create matching groups automatically during import, preserving your organizational structure without any manual work.

TypeSnap is $17.99, one time. No subscription, no cloud account required. Download TypeSnap. Or see the full import guide for all supported formats.