Forgot the abbreviation. Type a double slash.

You know there is a returns paragraph. You do not know if the abbreviation is ret or cs-ret.

So you open the main window and walk the groups, or you invent a shorter name. The shorter name will fire inside an English sentence. Forgetting a name is not a reason to mint another one.

The loop is still: type an abbreviation in whatever is focused, press Tab, it expands. When you cannot remember, do not leave the field. Type //. A list appears. To search the whole library, press the search-window hotkey. Neither path needs an account.

Still in the field: //

You are halfway through a mail and only remember the signature is something like “sig”. Type //sig. Candidates appear next to the caret (or the pointer). Arrow keys, Enter, it inserts. The default prefix is //; you can change it to @@ or similar under Settings → General. See Inline search.

// alone is fine. The list is longer; type a keyword to cut it down. Chinese names match pinyin. A word from the body works; it does not have to be the abbreviation. This is not a second set of abbreviations. It is a find over the library you already have. An empty list means the snippet is not there yet — search will not write the body for you.

ExpandIn does not block inline search. ExpandIn gates abbreviation plus trigger. A code group locked to the IDE can still be found from the browser and inserted there.

Browse, or search the body: the search window

Inline search is for “I almost remember.” When the library is large, when you need a sentence from the body, when the snippet you want does not look like the one you typed, use the search window.

The hotkey lives under Settings → Keyboard. Defaults differ by platform; trust the settings page (often ⌘⇧F on macOS, Alt+Shift+F on Windows). The window centers with the field focused. Search name, abbreviation, and body. Enter inserts. Esc closes. See Search window.

The search window is also free of ExpandIn. It can switch to plugins and AI later. Today it only has to bring back the snippet you lost.

The deep link codeexpander://search?q=... opens the same window with a query already filled. Set it when you actually need it. A hit still inserts into whatever is focused. You do not return to the main window first.

Tonight, practice finding

1. Open Settings → General. Confirm inline search is on and the prefix is still //. Notes: Inline search.
2. Go to a real text field — not the main window. Type // plus two or three letters you remember. Enter to insert.
3. Hit the search-window hotkey and find the same snippet by a word from its body. If both paths land, a forgotten abbreviation is no longer a stop. Hotkey notes: Search window.

Free 50 snippets is enough to park the worst repeats. Forgetting is expected, not a failure. Amounts live in Pricing.

Do not

• Do not mint ok or ret2 because you forgot. Shorter is how collisions start. See Abbreviation hygiene.
• Do not open the main window and click through groups to find one line. Hands stay in someone else’s field.
• Do not assume ExpandIn hides search. It stops misfires, not retrieval.
• Do not turn off “require a trigger key” to make names easier to remember. Memory is //. Speed is not removing Tab.

Next: Keep the paragraph you just wrote.