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Getting started

Shortcuts and expansion

How expansion works, which keys open the picker, and how to pause or limit LazyBoard.

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How expansion works#

When you finish typing an abbreviation in a supported text field, LazyBoard removes it and inserts the snippet. If the snippet has fields, a fill-in window opens first. When it contains {{cursor}}, the cursor is placed there afterwards.

An expansion sound plays when a snippet is inserted. Change its volume or turn it off in Settings → Options.

Keyboard shortcuts#

ActionMacWindowsChrome extension
Open the snippet picker⌘ShiftSpaceCtrlShiftSpaceAltShiftL
Open the picker by typing/lazyboard/lazyboard—
Move through results↑ ↓↑ ↓↑ ↓
Insert the selected snippetReturnEnterEnter
Close the pickerEscEscEsc
Reorder a folderAlt↑ Alt↓Alt↑ Alt↓Alt↑ Alt↓

To change the picker shortcut, open Settings → Options → Picker shortcut, click Edit and press a new combination. It must include ⌘, Ctrl or Alt with another key. In Chrome, change the extension shortcut at chrome://extensions/shortcuts.

LazyBoard Settings, Options tab: Typing & shortcuts, picker shortcut Command Shift Space, launch at login, pause expansion, expansion sound and automatic templates.
Settings → Options holds the picker shortcut, launch at login, pause and sound.

Pause expansion#

Turn on Pause automatic expansion in Settings → Options, or use Expand Snippets in the menu bar panel, to stop shortcuts from expanding for a while. The picker still works. The status at the bottom of the window reads Expansion paused.

Exclude apps and websites#

Under Excluded apps in Settings, add one app per line where LazyBoard should never expand shortcuts, such as a code editor or a game. In the Chrome extension, Excluded websites takes one hostname per line; a hostname also excludes its subdomains.

Desktop app and extension together#

If you use the desktop app and the Chrome extension on the same computer, only one of them should expand in the browser. Settings → Advanced → Desktop expansion in browsers decides:

  • Automatic · prefer the extension (recommended): the desktop app steps aside while a connected LazyBoard extension handles Chrome, Edge and Brave.
  • Never use desktop expansion: the desktop app never expands in those browsers.
  • Always use desktop expansion: the desktop app handles browsers and the extension steps aside. Switching can take up to 15 seconds.