espanso for MAC
Free, open-source text expander for Mac: type a short trigger and get emails, signatures, dates or code snippets in any app.
espanso Overview
espanso is a free text expander that works in every app. You set up short triggers, such as ":sig" or ":addr", and when you type one, espanso replaces it with the full text: an email signature, an address, a standard reply, a code snippet or today's date. Matches are written in simple text files, can include forms with fields to fill in, shell commands and dynamic values, and can be shared through the espanso package hub. espanso is created by Federico Terzi and runs on Mac, Windows and Linux.
espanso is free and open source under the GPL-3.0 license. It supports macOS 10.13 or later on Intel and Apple Silicon Macs, and can also be installed with Homebrew. On first launch macOS asks for Accessibility permission, which espanso needs to detect what you type.
Key Features
espanso saves you from typing the same things over and over.
- Works everywhere: expand text in any app, from email to the code editor.
- Simple triggers: define your own shortcuts in plain YAML files.
- Dynamic values: insert dates, times, clipboard contents and random values.
- Forms: fill in fields before the text is inserted.
- Shell commands: insert the output of scripts and commands.
- Search bar: find and insert any match with a hotkey.
- Packages: install ready-made collections, such as emojis or code snippets, from the hub.
- Cross-platform: the same configuration works on Mac, Windows and Linux.
What’s New in Version 2.4.1
espanso 2.4.1 fixes a reported bug and adds improvements.
- Fixed the problem reported in issue 2748, on all platforms
- macOS: espanso now takes over a stale daemon lock after logging out and in
- Linux: installs its desktop file and icon
espanso FAQ
Is espanso free?
Yes. espanso is free and open source under the GPL-3.0 license.
What is a text expander?
An app that replaces a short trigger you type, like ":sig", with longer text, such as your full email signature.
Which macOS version does espanso need?
espanso supports macOS 10.13 or later on both Intel and Apple Silicon Macs.
Why does espanso need Accessibility permission?
macOS requires Accessibility permission for an app to detect what you type and insert text. Allow it in System Settings › Privacy & Security › Accessibility.
How do I add my own expansions?
Edit espanso's YAML match files, for example base.yml, adding a trigger and the replacement text. espanso reloads them automatically.
Can espanso insert today's date?
Yes. Matches can include dynamic values such as the current date and time, clipboard contents and the output of shell commands.
Can I share or download expansions?
Yes. The espanso hub has ready-made packages you can install with one command.
Does espanso work in every app?
It works in almost all apps. You can also turn it off for specific apps in its settings.
Can I install espanso with Homebrew?
Yes. The espanso website gives the Homebrew command to install it.
Where does the espanso download on espanso.FULLMAC.app come from?
The download button leads to the official espanso install guide for macOS at https://espanso.org/docs/install/mac/. espanso.FULLMAC.app does not change or repackage the app.
Similar Apps
MarkEditMarkEdit is a free, lightweight Markdown editor for Mac. It describes itself as TextEdit for Markdown: it opens instantly, edits plain .md files without importing them into a library, and stays out of your way with a clean, native interface. It highlights Markdown syntax as you type, supports large files, and has strong search and replace, a table of contents, typewriter mode and many themes. Extra features, such as a live preview, can be added with extensions. MarkEdit is developed by the MarkEdit-app team.Productivity
CluxoWhen you share your screen or record a tutorial, the mouse pointer is easy to lose. Cluxo is a small menu bar app that puts a colored ring around the cursor and shows every click, drag and scroll, so viewers always know where to look. It also has a spotlight that dims everything except the area around the pointer, a live magnifier, an on-screen keystroke display and a drawing mode for marking up the screen while you talk.Productivity
Time to LeaveTime to Leave is a desktop app for keeping track of your working time, laid out much like a time-card system. You log the time you started work, and the app works out when you should leave, taking into account the time you spent on breaks such as lunch, then notifies you when that moment comes. It needs no database setup: you install it and start punching in. You can log your day in a Day view or a whole Month view, and see your running balance of hours.Productivity
ColuracetamColuracetam is a Markdown reader and editor for Mac that shows the same rendered preview everywhere. Press the spacebar on a .md file in Finder and Quick Look shows it rendered in color, and Finder shows generated thumbnails of your Markdown files. Open a file in the app and you get a live split: plain monospace source on one side and the rendered page on the other, with text selection and search that work across the whole rendered document.Productivity
MassReplaceItMassReplaceIt is a find and replace utility for many files at once. You choose the files or folders, type what to look for and what to put in its place, and MassReplaceIt searches either the file contents or the file names, such as changing the extension of hundreds of files in one go. Before anything is written you can preview the changes, and each search gives detailed results. Searches can be saved and used again, filters leave out files you do not want touched, and regular expressions handle patterns that plain text cannot.Productivity
TypeCueTypeCue takes the typing out of screen recordings, tutorials, webinars and live presentations. You write your demo as an ordered list of text blocks. During the take, each press of a global hotkey (Control-Option-X by default) types the next block into whatever field has focus, as real keystrokes at a human pace, with no typos and the same result on every take. Press the hotkey again while it types to stop it.Productivity
FULLMAC.app does not host this app. Download buttons lead to the developer’s own pages.