MacApp Strings of Text Tutorial

1.) Open System Preferences

Click the Apple icon in the top-left corner of your screen, then select System Preferences.

2.) Open the Keyboard settings

Search for Keyboard in the upper-right corner or click it directly from the list.

3.) Create a Text Replacement

Go to the Text tab. Click the “+” button in the bottom-left corner to add a new replacement.

The Replace column is your shortcut (what you'll type), and the With column is the full text it will insert.

Example: replacing sK with “This is an example of what you can do with X-keys on your Mac.”

4.) Open the X-keys Mac App

Launch the X-keys Mac App and press the button you want to program on your physical device.

Once the red crosshairs appear on the screen, click Start Recording.

5.) Record and Save

Type the shortcut you created (e.g. sK) and include an Enter keystroke at the end to trigger AutoCorrect automatically.

Click Stop Recording, then go to File > Save to Device.

6.) Test It Out

Open a text editor or word processor and press the programmed button. Your shortcut (like sK) should instantly be replaced with the full text.

7.) Using Symbols as Shortcuts

You can create shortcuts using Option key combinations. Try pressing Option + W + Q which may output symbols like Σœ.

Create a replacement using those characters and program them into your X-keys the same way as before. Be sure to include an Enter at the end if you want the replacement to happen automatically.