A text expander for Mac
Type a shortcut.
Get the whole thing.
Type ;mtg in any app and Quillbud swaps it for your whole meeting note. Free with unlimited snippets, and what you type never leaves your computer.
Free download · Apple silicon and Intel Macs · Windows coming soon
Hi team,
How it works
Three seconds, not three paragraphs
Quillbud sits quietly in your menu bar and watches for your triggers. Nothing to switch to, nothing to paste.
- 01
Write it once
Save the reply, address or template you keep retyping, and give it a short trigger like ;addr.
- 02
Type the trigger anywhere
Mail, Slack, your browser, a code editor, a support desk. If you can type there, Quillbud works there.
- 03
Get the whole thing
The trigger becomes the full snippet, with today’s date, what’s on your clipboard, and the cursor right where you want to keep typing.
Features
More than copy and paste
The parts of a snippet that change every time, a way to find the ones you forgot, and your old library brought along.
Fill-in fields
Leave blanks in a snippet with {fill:Name}, or offer choices with {fill:When|this week|next week}. Quillbud asks as it expands, then types the finished text.
Hi Jordan, great to meet you! Are you free for a quick call this week?
Quick picker on ⌘ \
Forgot the trigger? Press Command-\ anywhere, type a word or two, and press Return.
- Invoice reminder;inv
- Invoice — late fee;late
- Invite to standup;stand
Import from TextExpander
Bring your snippets from TextExpander, Espanso or a CSV. Groups become folders and TextExpander’s date and clipboard macros are rewritten for you.
Import snippets
- TextExpanderWork.textexpander86
- Espansobase.yml41
- CSVreplies.csv15
142 snippets ready to go
Menu bar panel
Search snippets, add a new one, or pause expansion for an hour, all from the menu bar.
Smart variables
Drop in the date, the time, your clipboard, or where the cursor should land.
A little sound
Hear a sound when a snippet expands. Pick one of five sounds and set the volume, or turn it off.
Sync across computers
Sign in with your email and your snippets stay the same on every computer you use.
Our privacy promise
What you type never leaves your computer.
A text expander has to see your keystrokes to do its job. That’s exactly why Quillbud keeps them to itself: no logging, no uploading, no “anonymous usage data” made of your sentences.
Matched on your Mac
Quillbud looks for triggers as you type, on your computer, and forgets every keystroke straight after.
Works offline
Sign in once and Quillbud keeps expanding without a connection. Your account holds your plan and, with Pro, a copy of your snippets. Nothing else.
Sync carries snippets only
With Pro, your snippet library is backed up and synced between your computers. Never what you type in other apps.
Pricing
Free on your computer. $2 a month to have it everywhere.
Every snippet and every feature is free on one computer, with no cap. Pro backs your snippets up and keeps them in sync on every Mac you own.
Free
$0forever
No card, no time limit
- Unlimited snippets and folders
- Fill-in fields and smart variables
- Quick picker and menu bar panel
- Import from TextExpander, Espanso and CSV
- Expansion sounds, five to choose from
- Stored only on your computer
Pro
$2/month
Billed yearly at $24, or $3 month to month
- Everything in Free
- Your snippets backed up in the cloud
- Synced to every Mac you own
- New power features as they ship: date math, nested snippets, rich text
Every new account starts with 30 days of Pro. No card needed.
Coming from TextExpander? Import your library in one click and keep $36 a year.
Download
Get Quillbud
Mac
Version 0.4.0 · Apple silicon and Intel
Opening Quillbud the first time
Quillbud is signed and notarized by Apple, so it opens like any other app.
- Drag Quillbud into Applications and open it.
- Allow Accessibility access when Quillbud asks. It needs it to see triggers and type your snippets.
You only do this once.
Windows
Windows 10 and 11
Quillbud for Windows is on its way, with the same snippets, quick picker and sync.
FAQ
Questions and fixes
Quillbud has Accessibility access, but my snippets don’t expand
This can happen after Quillbud updates. macOS can leave the Accessibility switch on for the old copy of Quillbud but not for the new one, so the switch looks on while Quillbud can’t see your typing. Giving access again fixes it:
- Open System Settings → Privacy & Security → Accessibility.
- Select Quillbud and click − to remove it. If it’s listed more than once, remove each one.
- Quit Quillbud from the menu bar, then open it again from Applications.
- Allow Accessibility access when Quillbud asks, and switch it on.
Type one of your shortcuts to check. Still nothing? Make sure Quillbud isn’t paused in the menu bar, and that you’re signed in: snippets only expand while you’re signed in to your Quillbud account.