Switching · All apps
Switch from Alfred
Export each snippet collection from Alfred and import it. Keywords become abbreviations, with the collection’s prefix and suffix added, and Alfred’s clipboard, cursor, and date placeholders become Shorthand codes.
Step by step
1
Export a collection
In Alfred’s preferences, open Features ▸ Snippets, right-click a collection’s title, and choose Export…. Repeat for each collection you want.
2
Import it
In Shorthand, choose File ▸ Import Snippets… (⇧⌘I), click Choose File…, and pick the exported .alfredsnippets file. Each collection becomes a group.
3
Turn off Alfred’s auto-expansion
In Alfred’s Snippets settings, turn off automatic expansion, so snippets don’t expand twice.
4
Check the leftovers
Placeholders with no equivalent, such as random values or older clipboard items, stay as text. Shorthand tells you how many.
What gets converted
In the other app
In Shorthand
What it does
{cursor}
%|
Where the cursor ends up
{clipboard}
%clipboard
The clipboard text
{date} / {date:short} / {date:long}
%B %e, %Y …
Today’s date in that style
{time} / {datetime}
%1I:%M %p …
The time, or both
collection prefix and suffix
added to each abbreviation
So ! + owl becomes !owl
{random:…}, {clipboard:1}, date math
Kept as text
No direct equivalent yet
Good to know
Alfred keeps rich-text snippets; Shorthand imports their plain text.
A % sign in your text stays a percent sign.
Not yet confirmed: Tested with sample collections built from Alfred’s documentation, not yet with a real Alfred export. Alfred’s help doesn’t name the exported file’s extension; Shorthand expects .alfredsnippets. If something doesn’t come across, email support@shorthandexpander.com.
Shorthand is a text expander for Mac. Your Alfred files stay exactly as they are.