3 Ways to Fix Text Replacement Not Working on Mac

Basic Fixes

• Check app compatibility: Launch the app > click on Edit > find the Substitutions sub-menu item. If it’s present, your app supports the text replacement feature on Mac.
• Update macOS and restart your Mac: Install the latest version of macOS and restart your Mac to eliminate bugs.

Fix 1: Enable Text Replacement for Compatible Apps

If your apps support the text expansion feature and it’s still not working, the feature may be disabled on the app. Here is how you can enable text replacement for compatible apps.

Step 1: Launch the app and click on the Edit menu. Now, click on Substitutions.

Step 2: If there’s no tick mark, click on Text Replacement to enable it

Fix 2: Use Spotlight for Quick Insertion With Incompatible Apps

Several prominent apps, including Microsoft Word, do not support the text replacement feature in macOS. While there’s nothing you can do to enable the feature in these apps, you can use a quick hack to overcome the incompatibility issue.

Step 1: When typing in an incompatible app like Microsoft Word, hit the CMD + Space keyboard combination to bring up Spotlight.

Step 2: Use your text shortcut to expand the text inside Spotlight.

Step 3: Use the Cmd + A keyboard shortcut to select the text > Cmd + C to copy it > hit Escape to dismiss Spotlight.

Step 4: Use the Cmd + V keyboard shortcut to paste the copied text.

Fix 3: Add a New Text Replacement Item and Delete It

If text replacement is not working in a compatible app ever after enabling it, the feature is not working correctly. Users have reported that adding a new text replacement item and deleting it generally fixes the issue.

Open Settings > Keyboard > Text Replacement > click the Plus icon > fill in the Replace and With columns > select the newly added item and delete it.

Tip: Learn how to change the keyboard language on Mac.