How to add lots of text snippets to your iPhone keyboard at once
Adding saved phrases one at a time is fine for three or four. It gets old fast when you have twenty canned replies in a document, a list of addresses in Notes, or a set of hashtags you rotate through. Here is how to paste the whole list once and get a keyboard key for every line.
Quick answer
iPhone's built-in Text Replacement has no way to add phrases in bulk on the phone: each one is typed in separately in Settings. WordBoard, a custom keyboard for saved text, can import a list. On the Keys tab, tap +, scroll down, tap Import, and choose Bulk List or Clipboard. Each line becomes its own key in the folder you have open. Add | Title after a phrase to give its key a short label. Importing requires WordBoard Pro.
Why one at a time is the slow part
Most people who want a snippet keyboard already have the text. It is sitting in a support doc, an email you keep copying from, or a note called "replies". The work is getting it into the keyboard.
- Text Replacement on iPhone needs a phrase and a shortcut entered by hand, one at a time, in Settings, General, Keyboard, Text Replacement. On a Mac you can drag a file of replacements into the list in System Settings and let iCloud sync them, but there is no paste-a-list option on the iPhone itself.
- Adding keys one by one in a keyboard app works, but twenty phrases means twenty rounds of copy, switch app, paste, label, save.
Bulk import turns that into one paste.
Prepare your list
The format is plain text, one key per line. WordBoard's support article on importing keys in bulk documents it. To give a key a title, put a vertical bar after the phrase, then the title:
Thanks for getting in touch! I'll get back to you within one business day. | Thanks
Your order has shipped. You'll get a tracking link by email shortly. | Shipped
Can we move our call to tomorrow at the same time? | Reschedule
123 Example Street, Springfield | Home addressThat list becomes four keys labelled Thanks, Shipped, Reschedule, and Home address. Tap one and the full phrase is typed at your cursor.
- Keep titles short. They are what you see on the key, so one or two words reads best.
- One phrase per line. Each line is a separate key, so a reply that needs line breaks inside it, like a signature block, is better added on its own after the import.
- Tidy it first. Writing the list in Notes makes it easy to fix typos and drop duplicates before anything reaches the keyboard.
Import it into WordBoard
- Open WordBoard and go to the folder you want the new keys in. Imported keys land in whichever folder is open, so create a folder first if this list deserves its own.
- On the Keys tab, tap +.
- Scroll down and tap Import.
- Choose Clipboard if you've already copied the list, or Bulk List to paste or type it in.
Your keys are ready the next time you switch to WordBoard in any app. If you have several lists, such as support replies and sales follow-ups, import each one into its own folder so you can flip between them on the keyboard. Customize the WordBoard keyboard covers reordering and tidying keys afterwards.
Other things you can import
The same Import menu has a few other sources, each of which saves a lot of manual entry:
| Source | What it creates |
|---|---|
| TextExpander | A key for each snippet in a TextExpander export (.csv or .textexpander). See importing TextExpander snippets. |
| Contact | Keys for a contact's email addresses, phone numbers, and addresses. See the contact details keyboard. |
| Common Kaomoji | A ready-made set of text faces. See the kaomoji guide. |
| Fun Emoji Combos | A ready-made set of emoji combinations. See the emoji keyboard page. |
Lists worth importing
- Support replies. The answers you paste from a help doc every day. The canned responses keyboard has ideas for structuring them.
- Sales and follow-up messages. Intro, follow-up, and "just checking in" variants for each stage.
- Addresses and details. Office, home, delivery, and billing addresses, plus booking or account references.
- Hashtag sets. One line per set, titled by topic, for posting from your phone.
- A team's agreed wording. Share the list as a note or document, and each person pastes it into their own WordBoard. See text replacement apps for business teams.
Once the keys exist, you can edit any of them to add template variables, such as {{ cursor }} to drop your cursor where the personal bit goes, or {{ date:"EEEE, MMM d, yyyy" }} for today's date. iPhone keyboard variables explained covers each one.
FAQ
Can I add Text Replacement shortcuts in bulk on iPhone?
Not on the iPhone itself. Each Text Replacement is entered separately in Settings. WordBoard can import a pasted list instead, creating one keyboard key per line.
How do I give imported keys a title?
Put a vertical bar after the phrase, followed by the title, for example: Thanks for getting in touch! | Thanks. The key shows the title and types the full phrase.
Which folder do imported keys go into?
The folder you have open when you import. Open or create the folder you want before you start.
Do I need WordBoard Pro to import keys?
Yes. Importing is a WordBoard Pro feature. WordBoard is free to download with 6 keys included, and Pro unlocks unlimited keys and importing.