On a computer, open Tools > Preferences > Substitutions. Make sure Automatic substitution is checked, and that the box next to your entry is checked too. Then type the shortcut and finish the word. If you once clicked Undo on a substitution, that can turn it off permanently, so check the entry again.
Published by LazyBoard, with AI-assisted drafting. Steps checked against Google Docs Editors Help on October 31, 2026. Menu names can change as Google updates Docs.
Google Docs keeps its own list of substitutions, separate from your computer’s text replacements. You can add your own pairs there, such as a short code that expands into your address. When they stop working, the cause is almost always a setting in that same Preferences window.
1. Turn on automatic substitution
Open a document, then click Tools > Preferences and open the Substitutions tab. The Automatic substitution checkbox turns every substitution on or off at once. If it is unchecked, none of your entries will work. Check it and click OK.
2. Check the entry itself
In the same list, each substitution has its own checkbox. Make sure the box next to your entry is checked, and that the Replace text is exactly what you type. If an entry still fails, remove it and add it again.
3. Finish the word
Substitutions happen when you finish typing a word, for example by typing a space or punctuation. Type the shortcut and then a space, and pick a code you don’t otherwise type, so it only expands when you mean it to.
4. Re-enable an entry you undid
When Docs replaces a word, you can click it and choose Undo. Google’s help explains that this turns that automatic correction off permanently. If one substitution stopped working after you undid it once, open Tools > Preferences > Substitutions and check its box again.
5. Check the document’s language
Google lists Autocorrect as available in English, French, German, Portuguese, and Spanish. If the document is set to another language under File > Language, automatic corrections may not run. Switch the document’s language to test.
6. Change settings on a computer
You can only manage Autocorrect and substitutions in Google Docs on a computer. The Android, iPhone, and iPad apps don’t have this Preferences window, so make changes on a computer and test them there first.
Shortcuts outside Google Docs
Docs substitutions only work inside Google Docs. They don’t carry over to Gmail, chat tools, or other websites. To use the same shortcuts in other places, a text expander keeps one library for all of them: the LazyBoard Chrome extension works in website text fields, and the Mac and Windows apps cover desktop apps, with fill-in fields for names and dates.
Google Docs uses its own editor, so test a shortcut there before relying on it. If it doesn’t expand, open the snippet picker, choose Copy, and paste. Docs’ built-in substitutions remain the simplest option inside a document.
Common questions
Where are substitutions in Google Docs?
On a computer, open a document and click Tools > Preferences, then the Substitutions tab. You can turn entries on or off, remove them, and turn all substitutions off with the Automatic substitution checkbox.
Can I use Google Docs substitutions on my phone?
You can only manage Autocorrect and substitutions on a computer. Google’s help says this can’t be done on Android, iPhone, or iPad.
Do Google Docs substitutions work in Gmail?
No. They are a Google Docs setting and only apply inside Google Docs documents.
How do I stop Google Docs replacing a word?
Open Tools > Preferences > Substitutions and uncheck or remove that entry. To stop all replacements, uncheck Automatic substitution. You can also click a replaced word and choose Undo.