Typing words or phrases again and again? Wish they were shorter? Find out here how to set up and use text replacement to expand shortcuts to custom text in Word, Outlook, OneNote and other Office applications.
First, Low-Flying Birds
Bundles of fluffy feathers with three seemingly bald extremities sticking out, ostriches are birds that famously cannot fly.
They run exceptionally well, however. Not only are they the fastest birds on land at up to 43 mph (70 km/h), their wings also make them particularly nimble runners. Acting as rudders and stabilizers, the wings allow the huge and heavy birds to take sharp corners, stop quickly or run zig-zag.
Now, do you want to be nimble, too, with your typing? Here’s how to get wings for your keyboard:
How to Set Up Text Replacement in Word, Outlook and Other Office Applications
Windows
Time needed: 3 minutes
To set up a text replacement in Microsoft Word, Outlook, OneNote and other Office applications for Windows (except Excel) so you can enter text quickly in the future:
- Select File in the current Office application.
- Choose Options on the sheet that has appeared.
- Go to Proofing options.
Outlook for Windows: In Outlook, go to the Mail settings before, click Spelling and Autocorrect… then choose Proofing.
Excel: Excel does not include text replacement. - Click AutoCorrect Options….
- Turn on Replace text as you type.
- Type the shortcut you want to use for the Word text expansion under Replace:.
Leading character: You can use a leading character such as / or , to differentiate the shortcut for typing the same combination of characters.
- Now type the text you want to replace the shortcut automatically under With:.
Example: If you find yourself typing “hadronization” repeatedly, you can use
,hhaandhadronization. - Click Add.
- Now click OK.
- Continue clicking OK until you have closed all options dialogs.
Mac
To add a new text replacement to Word and other Office applications for Mac:
- Select Word | Preferences… from the menu.
Other apps: Replace Word with the application you are currently using.
Keyboard shortcut: You can press Command , (comma) to open preferences. - Go to the AutoCorrect section.
- Enable Replace text as you type.
- Type the combination of characters you want to be expanded to the target phrase under Replace:.
- Now type the desired replacement text under With:.
- Click Add.
Mac expansions: Note that you can just as well use the Mac’s own text expansions in the Office applications on macOS.
How to Use Text Replacement in Word, Outlook and Other Office Applications
To insert text fast using text expansion in Office applications other than Excel (Word, Outlook, OneNote,…):
- Type the shortcut you set up.
Example: Type,hhafor entering “hadronization” if you set up that shortcut. - Follow that with whitespace or punctuation immediately.
Example: Hit Space or Enter, for instance, or insert a comma or period.
Text Replacement in Word, Outlook and Other Office Applications: FAQ
Will text expansions synchronize between Office installations?
No.
You can (or have to) set up individual text replacements on each system.
Do I have to set up separate replacements for upper and lower case?
No.
Office applications will keep capitalization; if you type the shortcut in
- lower case, the full expanded word will be in lower case; if you
- capitalize the shortcut, the expansion will start with a capital letter; and if you
- type the shortcut in all caps, the result will be in all caps as well.
(How to use text replacement in Word, Outlook and other Office applications tested with Word for Windows Version 2307–2401 for Microsoft 365 and Word for Mac 16.76; updated February 2024)