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Text Replacement lets you type a short shortcut and have your Apple device insert a saved word or phrase—for example, typing omw to enter “On my way!” Set it up in Keyboard settings on iPhone, iPad, or Mac; to use entries across devices, turn on iCloud Drive and use the same Apple Account.

Set up text replacement on iPhone

  1. Open Settings > General > Keyboard > Text Replacement.
  2. Tap Add.
  3. Enter the full text to insert in Phrase, then enter the trigger in Shortcut.
  4. Save the entry. When you type the shortcut, the keyboard offers or applies the replacement.

You can also reach the setting from a text field: touch and hold the Emoji or Switch Keyboard key, open Keyboard Settings, then tap Text Replacement. To stop a particular word or phrase from being autocorrected, add the desired text as a phrase and leave Shortcut blank.

Set up text replacement on iPad

Open Settings > General > Keyboard > Text Replacement, add an entry, and fill in the phrase and shortcut. The steps are the same as on iPhone.

Set up text replacement on Mac

  1. Open System Settings > Keyboard > Text Replacements.
  2. Add a replacement, entering the text to insert and its shortcut.

If you are already in an app, Apple also documents the route Edit > Substitutions > Show Substitutions, then opening Text Settings. A built-in style example is replacing (c) with ©. See Apple’s Mac guide to text replacements.

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Doohoeek Universal Bluetooth Mini Keyboard, Wireless Compact Keyboard with Orange Navigation Keys & Any-Angle Stand for Android/iOS/Windows, Dual-Device Keypad for Phones/Galaxy Z Fold/iPad mini
  • Can't Connect the Bluetooth? Please reset the keyboard and then reconnect the Bluetooth: 1. Turn on the keyboarad; 2. Press and hold the first and the last key at the top row of the keyboard until all indicators start flashing; 3. Bluetooth light flickers quickly, auto entering Bluetooth pairing mode (If not, press Fn + 1 or 2); 4. Search and find "Wireless keyboard".
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Sync replacements across Apple devices

Apple’s documented cross-device setup uses iCloud Drive. On iPhone, go to Settings > [your name] > iCloud > See All > iCloud Drive and enable Sync this iPhone if that option appears. Apple says iCloud keeps the personal dictionary up to date on other devices. On Mac, set up iCloud Drive on the Mac, iPhone, and iPad, and sign in to the same Apple Account on each. A replacement created on one device can then be used on the others. See Apple’s iPhone guide.

Do not confuse this with iCloud Sync in Apple’s Shortcuts app. That setting syncs collections of multi-step workflows; it is separate from keyboard Text Replacement. See Apple’s Shortcuts guide.

Back up or share replacements from a Mac

  1. Open System Settings > Keyboard > Text Replacements.
  2. Select one or more entries and drag them to the desktop. macOS creates a backup file named property list.plist.
  3. To restore the entries or import them on another Mac, drag the file into the Text Replacements window and confirm.

You can keep a copy of the file elsewhere or send it to another Mac user. Apple documents this export and import method in its Mac text-replacement instructions.

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Text replacement with Chinese and Japanese keyboards

Apple also supports adding word-and-input pairs to the personal dictionary for certain keyboards: Simplified Chinese Pinyin; Traditional Chinese Pinyin and Zhuyin; and Japanese Romaji and Kana. These pairs are available while using a supported keyboard. Details are in Apple’s iPhone User Guide.

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  • Precision Cutouts: Guarantees easy access to all essential ports, microphone, and speakers
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