Leave TextExpander. Bring the library, not the brochure
Bring the library.
Do not bring the assumption that every item on their site exists here.
Works offline and signed out.
“Sync my snippets” is off by default. When on, another computer and the website see the same library.
After you share, coworkers can expand. Edit the text on the website, not the desktop.
Abbreviations use snippets on this computer. Sync is separate: turn it on for another device or the team.
Import
- Export
.textexpanderor official CSV from TextExpander. - CodeExpander Settings → Data, import. See Settings. Free tier caps snippets and groups. Clear some, or upgrade.
- Do three things immediately: conflicting abbreviations, ExpandIn on the code group, delete anything you subscribed from a public marketplace (there is no Public Groups here).
FillIn, dates, conditionals, nested %s:abbr% are mapped. JavaScript inside snippets does not run after import. Rebuild dynamic output with a local script environment.
Aligned, not pretended
| Common there | Here |
|---|---|
| Expand in any app | Yes. Local authority, works offline |
| Fill-ins / nesting | Yes. Syntax is FillIn |
| Shared groups | Organization groups, Team seats. The website edits a cloud copy |
| Browser extension | No |
| iOS keyboard expansion | Not the desktop story; mobile store is a separate track |
| HIPAA / BAA as a product | No healthcare compliance surface. See Privacy |
| Public snippet directory | No |
| Vendor cloud as the source of truth | No. CE Cloud is an explicit plaintext copy, off by default |
Capture, OCR, GIF, clipboard history, and the plugin hub are extras after you move — not “missing rows” on a TextExpander checklist.
Sync
- This machine plus occasional backup: JSON export, or local backup.
- Your own Git disk: Gist / WebDAV (Pro / Lifetime).
- Official cloud on a second computer: Personal yearly, desktop switch Sync my snippets, with a confirmation that we can read bodies. See Personal cloud.
- Lifetime does not include CE Cloud.
Cancelled, offline, or signed out still expands at the free local tier. Nothing remote-wipes the library. Expansion authority is always the copy already on this machine.