ReplyKit › Guides › Text shortcuts & abbreviations

Type faster with text shortcuts & abbreviations

The fastest text to type is the text you don't. Assign a short trigger like ;hi to a full message, and a couple of keystrokes become a complete reply — in Gmail, your help desk, a CRM, or any form.

A text expander (or abbreviation expander) watches what you type and swaps short triggers for longer text. It's the difference between typing a 200-character reply and typing ;thx. ReplyKit does this for free, in any standard text field, with no account.

Shortcuts vs. the // picker

ReplyKit gives you two ways to insert a snippet — use whichever is faster in the moment:

The // picker — type //, search by name, pick. Great when you don't remember the exact trigger.
Shortcuts — type the trigger (e.g. ;hi) and it expands instantly, no menu. Great for the handful of snippets you use all day.

How to set one up (in 3 steps)

Open the ReplyKit popup and save (or edit) a snippet.
In the shortcut field, give it a trigger — something quick and memorable like ;hi, ;sig, or ;addr.
In any text field, type the trigger. It expands into the full snippet right where your cursor is.

Choosing good triggers

Use a prefix symbol like ; or / so triggers never fire by accident inside a normal word.
Keep them short and mnemonic: ;sig for signature, ;ty for thank-you, ;wfh for "working from home today".
Stay consistent — pick one prefix and use it for everything, so your fingers learn the pattern.

Handy shortcuts to start with

Trigger	Expands to
`;hi`	Hi! Thanks for reaching out — happy to help.
`;thx`	Thanks so much, really appreciate it!
`;sig`	Your full email signature
`;addr`	Your business address
`;cal`	Here's my calendar link to grab a time: …

Turn a couple of keystrokes into a full reply. Set a shortcut and type it anywhere.

Add ReplyKit to Chrome — free

Make them even smarter

Combine a shortcut with placeholders so the expanded text personalizes itself: a ;ship trigger can expand to "Hi {name}, your order shipped on {date}." — filling the date automatically and prompting you for the name. See text snippet variables & placeholders.