SideQuest

Migration guide · TextExpander

Bring the useful text. Rebuild only the automation you still need.

TextExpander’s current web export produces one CSV per editable snippet group. Alias can preview several of those files together, then import only the rows you choose.

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Four steps

Export group by group. Import them together.

  1. 01

    Sign in to TextExpander, open Import/Export, choose Export, and download each group you can edit as CSV.

  2. 02

    Open Alias, choose Library, then select Import in the sidebar.

  3. 03

    Choose Choose Import Files and select one or more exported files.

  4. 04

    Review every selected row and alias collision. Import non-conflicting rows, or replace a conflict only when you intend to.

TextExpander permits exports only for groups where you have Can Edit or Can Manage access. Keep the original files as a backup. See the current TextExpander export guide.

Field map

What Alias reads from the CSV.

The current TextExpander export uses abbreviation and snippet columns. Both are recognized by Alias.

Abbreviation
Becomes an Alias trigger. Alias adds a leading semicolon when the abbreviation does not already start with one.
Snippet
Becomes the plain-text snippet body, including line breaks preserved by the CSV file.
Label
The standard TextExpander label column is not mapped. Alias uses the imported trigger as the title until you rename it.
Group
Export each editable group separately. The file name and TextExpander sharing settings do not create an Alias collection.

Exact limitations

Plain text moves cleanly. Product-specific behavior does not.

  • Rich-text styling, images, scripts, and TextExpander fill-ins are not converted by the CSV import.
  • TextExpander date math and other macros remain literal text until you rebuild them with Alias tokens.
  • Shared-group ownership, permissions, organization controls, and cloud sync do not move to Alias.
  • Rows without an abbreviation or snippet body are skipped. Alias lists skipped row numbers without showing their private text.

Alias also recognizes older raw property-list and .textexpander files when they contain readable snippet dictionaries. The current, documented TextExpander web export is CSV, so CSV is the safer migration path.

Choose Alias when

Your library is personal, Mac-only, and better kept local.

  • You use macOS 26 or later and do not need expansion on Windows, iPhone, or a browser extension.
  • You want local snippets, local usage reports, no cloud account, and offline use after one private activation.
  • You are comfortable rebuilding the smaller set of fill-ins and dynamic snippets that still earn their place.

Stay with TextExpander when

You depend on centrally managed shared groups, organization permissions, cloud delivery across platforms, or TextExpander-specific scripting and fill-in behavior.

Want a clean test file before you move a real library? Start with a generic CSV built for Alias’s exact import columns.

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Alias for Mac

Try the real workflow with your own snippets.

Import, review, and edit your library during the trial. Buying Alias does not change where your snippets are stored.

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