Expando
Type a Few Letters. Get the Whole Message.
Expando is a free text expander for Chrome. Save the replies, sign-offs and templates you type every day, then insert them with a short trigger in Gmail, Google Docs, Slack, LinkedIn and almost any text box on the web. Formatting, fill-in blanks, dates and cursor placement included. No account needed.
Free · No account · Your snippets stay in your browser
What Is a Text Expander, and Why Use One?
A text expander turns a short code into a longer piece of text. You write a reply, a signature or a template once, give it a trigger like ;;thanks, and from then on typing those few characters inserts the whole thing. It is the fastest way to stop retyping the same words.
Think about what you type most days: the same answers to customers, the same follow-up after a call, your address, your meeting link, the sign-off at the end of every email. Each one takes a minute. Across a week that adds up to hours, and copy-pasting from an old email is slow and easy to get wrong.
Expando is a free text expander built for Chrome. It works inside the web apps where you actually write, including Gmail, Google Docs, Slack and LinkedIn. Your snippets live in your own browser, sync through Chrome, and never need an account.
Built to Work Where Text Expanders Usually Break
Typing into Gmail or a plain form is easy for an extension. Modern editors are not. Google Docs draws its own page instead of using a text box, and the editors behind LinkedIn, Slack and X rebuild what you type as you type it. A careless extension leaves the trigger behind, drops the snippet in the wrong place, or scrambles the text around it.
Expando was tested one editor at a time on the sites people use most, with snippets in the middle of a sentence, text after them, fast typing and the cursor moved around afterwards. Formatted snippets are cleaned before they go in, so what arrives is exactly the bold, colour, list or link you wrote, and nothing else.
See Expando in Action
A 70-second demo, then real screenshots from Gmail, Google Docs and Expando's own editor. Click any screenshot to open it full size.
Everything Expando Does, Free
No trial, no locked features. Everything below is in the free extension.
Type a trigger, get the whole message
Give any piece of text a short trigger like ;;thanks. Type it anywhere and Expando swaps it for the full snippet, instantly or after you press space. Your choice.
Formatting that survives
Bold, italic, underline, six colours, bullet and numbered lists, and links. They paste as real formatting in Gmail, Google Docs and other editors. Plain boxes get clean text.
Fill-in blanks
Add a blank for a name, an order number or anything else. When the snippet expands, a small form asks for it, with a live preview. A blank can start with a default you can keep.
Dates and times, worked out for you
Drop in today's date, tomorrow, next week or any number of days ahead, in the format you like. Same for the time: now, or an hour from now.
Put the cursor exactly where you want it
Mark the spot and the cursor lands there after the snippet goes in, so you can keep typing without clicking. Tested on Gmail, Google Docs, LinkedIn and X.
Paste what you just copied
Add a clipboard marker and whatever you last copied goes into the snippet. Handy for links, order IDs and tracking numbers.
A search picker for when you forget
Press Ctrl+Shift+Y (you can change it) in any text box to search all your snippets and insert one. Or right-click the box and pick a snippet from the Expando menu.
Live preview while you write
See the snippet as it will come out, with dates filled in, blanks shown and the cursor spot marked, before you ever use it.
Undo with one Backspace
Expanded something by accident? Press Backspace straight away and your trigger comes back.
Tags and search
Tag snippets by project or team and filter the list in one click. Search by trigger, label or text.
Sync without an account
Your snippets follow you to your other computers through Chrome's own sync. There is no Expando account and no server of ours in the middle.
Turn it off where you want
Switch Expando off for any site from the toolbar popup or the settings page. It never runs in password fields, and that cannot be switched off.
Import and export
Back up every snippet and setting to one file, or move them to another browser. Imports never overwrite a trigger you already have.
Light and dark
The editor follows your computer's theme, or pick light or dark yourself.
Dynamic Snippets: Dates, Blanks, Clipboard and Cursor
Markers are what make a snippet more than saved text. You never have to type them: the editor has a button for each one.
| Marker | What it becomes |
|---|---|
{date} | Today's date, in your computer's format. |
{date:+3d} | A date ahead or behind: d for days, w for weeks, m for months, y for years. |
{date:D MMM YYYY} | A date in the format you choose, like 11 Sep 2026. Shift and format together: {date:+3d dddd}. |
{time} | The time now. {time:+2h h:mm A} gives the time two hours from now. |
{clipboard} | Whatever you copied last. |
{cursor} | Where the cursor lands once the snippet is in. |
{var:name} | A fill-in blank. Expando asks for it each time the snippet expands. |
{var:topic=the proposal} | A blank that starts filled in. Press Enter to keep it or type over it. |
How to Set Up Expando in Two Minutes
Add Expando to Chrome
Install Expando from the Chrome Web Store. A welcome page opens with a practice box.
Try a starter snippet
Type ;;hi in the practice box, or in any text box on the web, and watch it expand.
Make your own snippet
Open Expando, click New, give it a trigger such as ;;thanks, and write what it should expand to. It saves as you type.
Use it anywhere
Type your trigger in Gmail, Google Docs, Slack, LinkedIn or any other text box and the full snippet appears.
Snippet Examples to Get You Started
Expando comes with six starter snippets, each showing one feature. Here is what a few triggers turn into.
;;thanks Two fill-in blanks Thanks Sara, I've received your order 4412.
;;date Today and three days ahead Sending this on 11 Sep 2026. Please reply by Monday, September 14.
;;sig Cursor placement Best regards, then the cursor waits on the next line
;;clip Your clipboard Here is the link you asked for: https://…
;;refund Formatting plus a blank Hi Sam, sorry about the trouble… a bulleted list with the amount in bold
;;meet Date plus clipboard Are you free for a quick call on Sunday, September 13? Here is my calendar link: …
Who Expando Is For
Customer support
Answer the same ten questions with replies that stay friendly and consistent. Fill in the customer's name and order number as you go.
Sales and recruiting
Follow-ups, meeting requests and intros in Gmail and LinkedIn, with the right name and a date a few days out already in place.
Writers and marketers
Bios, boilerplate, hashtags, disclosures and links you paste into posts, docs and briefs every week.
Everyone else
Your address, your email sign-off, your meeting link. Anything you type more than twice deserves a trigger.
Private by Design
- No account, no server. Your snippets are saved in your own browser. There is no Expando server for them to go to.
- Sync through Chrome. If you are signed in to Chrome, your snippets reach your other computers through Chrome's own sync. Turn it off any time.
- Nothing you type is sent anywhere. Expando only checks the characters just before your cursor, on your computer, to spot a trigger.
- Never in password fields. Expando ignores them on every site, and that cannot be turned off.
- No ads, no tracking of what you type. Expando only sends anonymous counts of which features get used, and you can switch that off in Settings.
Read the full Expando privacy policy.
Expando Text Expander — FAQ
What is a text expander?
A text expander turns a short trigger into a longer piece of text. You save the text once, give it a trigger like ;;thanks, and from then on typing the trigger inserts the whole thing. It saves typing on replies, sign-offs, addresses and templates you use again and again.
Is Expando free?
Yes. Expando is free to install and use, with every feature on this page included: formatting, fill-in blanks, dates, cursor placement, the clipboard, the picker and sync.
Do I need an account?
No. There is no sign-up and no Expando account. Install it and start typing.
Where are my snippets stored?
In your own browser, using Chrome's extension storage. If you leave sync on, Chrome also copies them to your other computers through your own Chrome sync. Expando has no server, so your snippets never reach one of ours.
Does Expando read what I type?
It checks the few characters just before your cursor, on your own computer, to see whether you typed a trigger. That text is never stored or sent anywhere. Expando ignores password fields completely. See the privacy policy for the details.
Does it work in Google Docs?
Yes. Google Docs does not use a normal text box, so many text expanders fail there. Expando has its own Docs support, and formatted snippets keep their bold, colours, lists and links.
Which sites does it work on?
Almost any text box on the web. It has been tested one editor at a time on Gmail, Google Docs, Slack, LinkedIn posts and messages, X, Facebook and Reddit, as well as plain forms and search boxes.
Why do the triggers start with ;;?
Two semicolons almost never appear in normal writing, so a trigger like ;;sig will not fire by accident. You can use any trigger you like, as long as it has no spaces.
Can I undo an expansion?
Yes. Press Backspace straight after a snippet expands and your trigger comes back. For longer or formatted snippets, your editor's own undo works as usual.
How do I find a snippet when I forget its trigger?
Press Ctrl+Shift+Y in any text box to open a search box with all your snippets, then pick one with the arrow keys and Enter. You can also right-click the box and choose a snippet from the Expando menu. The shortcut can be changed on Chrome's shortcuts page.
Can I stop it on certain sites?
Yes. Open the toolbar popup on that site and switch Expando off, or add the site under Settings, Sites. It never runs in password fields on any site.
Does it sync between computers?
Yes, through Chrome's own sync, when you are signed in to Chrome. Sync is on by default and you can turn it off in Settings. Very long snippets stay on the computer they were made on.
Can I back up or move my snippets?
Yes. Settings, Data, Export saves every snippet and setting to a single file. Import adds them back and skips any trigger you already have.
What permissions does Expando need, and why?
It runs on the pages you visit so it can notice when you type a trigger. It uses storage to keep your snippets, clipboard read only when a snippet with a clipboard marker expands, and the right-click menu for inserting snippets. It does not ask for your browsing history.
Stop Retyping the Same Words
Add Expando to Chrome, type ;;hi in the welcome page, and make your first snippet in under a minute.
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