Work Mac · No admin rights

Locked-down Mac? Here's what still works.

MultiShortcuts Pro needs Hammerspoon and an admin to approve it, so it can't run on many work computers, even from a USB drive. But macOS has a few shortcut tools built in, and you can set them up yourself, no install and no password.

1 · Text shortcuts

Bring your text shortcuts into Text Replacements

Text Replacements is built into macOS (System Settings → Keyboard → Text Replacements…). Type a shortcut and a space, and it's replaced. It syncs through iCloud to your iPhone and iPad too.

Paste your shortcut file below, or open it. It works with text_expansion.txt from MultiShortcuts Pro for Mac or Windows, and with SpeedKee files. Everything stays in your browser; nothing is uploaded.

Open a shortcut file…

Converted in this page with JavaScript. Your shortcuts never leave your computer.

Import the file

Open System Settings → Keyboard and click Text Replacements…
Drag the downloaded Text Substitutions.plist from Downloads into the list.
Try it: type a shortcut, then a space.

If your Mac doesn't accept the dragged file, add shortcuts one at a time with the + button, using the table above as your list. Press ⌥Return inside the text box for a line break.

How these differ from MultiShortcuts Pro

Every shortcut fires on a space or punctuation, including ones like mP that are instant in MultiShortcuts Pro.
Capitals don't count, so jt and jT are the same shortcut. The converter keeps the first one and tells you.
They work in most Apple and standard Mac apps (Mail, Messages, Notes, Pages, Safari). Some apps, such as some web editors and Electron apps, ignore them.
Placeholders like {clip}, {cursor} and dates, keystroke sequences, and launchers can't come along. They're listed as skipped.

2 · Caps Lock as a modifier

Put ⌥ or ⌘ where Caps Lock is

Open System Settings → Keyboard → Keyboard Shortcuts…
Choose Modifier Keys in the sidebar (pick your keyboard at the top if you have more than one).
Set Caps Lock key to ⌥ Option, ⌘ Command or ⌃ Control.

⌘ Command puts copy, paste, undo and save under your left pinky: Caps Lock + C copies. Unlike MultiShortcuts Pro, Caps Lock is then always that key; there's no tap for ` and you lose Caps Lock itself (hold Shift instead).

3 · Opening apps and sites

Launch without launchers

Spotlight: press ⌘Space, type the first letters of an app, file or bookmarked site, press Return. It learns what you pick most.
Browser bookmarks: put your daily sites in the bookmarks bar. In Safari, ⌘1 to ⌘9 open the first nine Favorites (unless Safari Settings → Tabs is set to use them for tabs); in Chrome they switch to tabs 1 to 9, so pin your daily sites as the first tabs.
Dock: keep daily apps in the Dock; ⌥⌘D hides and shows it.

4 · Your own keyboard shortcuts

Give any menu command a shortcut

Open System Settings → Keyboard → Keyboard Shortcuts… → App Shortcuts.
Click +, pick an app (or All Applications), type the menu command's name exactly as it appears in the menu, and press the keys you want.

For example, give Mail's Archive or Word's Paste and Match Formatting a key you can actually reach.

Without MultiShortcuts Pro

What you give up

Hold ; for ⌘, and Caps Lock tap / hold

; commands like ;c, ;e, ;A

Date shortcuts like -= and 1-=

` launchers for apps, sites and files

Instant triggers that fire without a space

Placeholders and macros: {clip}, {cursor}, {key:…}

Ask IT

Want the full version at work?

Many IT teams approve tools like this when asked. Here's a note you can send. Edit it as you like.

Hi,

I'd like to use MultiShortcuts Pro for Mac (free, MIT license, from GnuKey LLC) to cut down on repetitive typing. Could you approve it, or tell me what's needed?

What it needs:
• Hammerspoon (hammerspoon.org): free, open-source automation app, signed and notarized by its developer. Needs Accessibility permission to read keystrokes and type text.
• The MultiShortcuts Pro script: one plain-text Lua file anyone can read before it runs. It makes no network connections, stores shortcuts in a text file in my home folder, and keeps long pasted text out of clipboard history.
• Optional: Karabiner-Elements (karabiner-elements.pqrs.org), free and open source, for hold-for-Command keys. It installs a keyboard driver extension and needs Input Monitoring permission.

Details: [your site address]/terms.html and /guide.html

Thanks!