How to Create Custom Text Replacements on iPhone

Speed up your typing by creating custom text shortcuts for long phrases or email addresses on your iPhone. Follow our step-by-step guide.

1. Open the Keyboard Settings menu. Launch the Settings app from your Home Screen. Navigate to General, then tap on Keyboard.
2. Locate the Text Replacement section. Within the Keyboard menu, select Text Replacement. This page displays all active shortcuts currently saved to your iCloud account.
3. Add a new text shortcut. Tap the plus (+) icon located in the top-right corner of the screen. This opens the entry fields for your new shortcut.
4. Define the phrase and the shortcut. Enter the full phrase into the Phrase field. In the Shortcut field, enter the abbreviated characters you want to trigger the expansion.
5. Save the new entry. Tap Save in the top-right corner to commit the shortcut to your library. The new replacement is now active across all devices signed into the same iCloud account.
6. Test the shortcut in a text field. Open any app that uses the keyboard, such as Notes or Messages. Type your defined shortcut and observe the text expansion in the predictive text bar, then tap the spacebar to insert it.