Advanced Usage Guide - Master Every Feature

Getting Started

How text expansion works in Makro - type a short trigger, get full text instantly.

Live Demo Text field

/sig Best regards,
Jane Smith
Product Manager - TechHQ

How It Works

1

Create a macro - open the Makro popup and click "+ New Macro"

2

Set a hotword - a short trigger like /sig, brb, or !!addr

3

Write the expansion - the full text you want inserted (supports placeholders)

4

Type the hotword - anywhere in any text field, your hotword auto-expands

Pro tip: Hotwords are case-insensitive. /sig, /SIG, and /Sig all trigger the same macro.

Date & Time Placeholders Free

Insert dynamic dates, times, and calculated dates into your macros.

Live Demo

Report for [$DATE:MMMM DD, YYYY] Report for March 16, 2026

Basic Date & Time

Placeholder	Description	Example	Output
`[$DATE]`	Today's date (ISO format)	`[$DATE]`	2026-03-16
`[$TIME]`	Current time (24h)	`[$TIME]`	14:30
`[$DATETIME]`	Full ISO 8601 timestamp	`[$DATETIME]`	2026-03-16T14:30:00

Custom Date Formats

Use [$DATE:FORMAT] with these format codes:

Code	Output	Example
`YYYY`	4-digit year	2026
`MM`	2-digit month	03
`DD`	2-digit day	16
`MMMM`	Full month name	March
`dddd`	Full day name	Monday
`HH`	Hours (24h)	14
`mm`	Minutes	30

Date Math

Add or subtract time from today using units: d (days), w (weeks), m (months), y (years).

Placeholder	Description	Example	Output
`[$DATE+7d]`	7 days from today	`[$DATE+7d]`	2026-03-23
`[$DATE-30d]`	30 days ago	`[$DATE-30d]`	2026-02-14
`[$DATE+3w]`	3 weeks from today	`[$DATE+3w]`	2026-04-06
`[$DATE+1m:MMMM DD]`	1 month from now, formatted	`[$DATE+1m:MMMM DD]`	April 16
`[$DATE-1y]`	1 year ago	`[$DATE-1y]`	2025-03-16

Pro tip: Combine date math with formatting: [$DATE+2w:dddd, MMMM DD] outputs something like "Monday, March 30".

Clipboard & Selection Free

Insert clipboard contents or currently selected text into your macros.

Placeholder	Description	Example Use
`[$CLIPBOARD]`	Current clipboard contents	`Link: [$CLIPBOARD]`
`[$SELECTION]`	Currently selected text	`"[$SELECTION]"`

Clipboard Math

Modify clipboard contents with arithmetic operations:

Placeholder	Description
`[$CLIPBOARD[-30%]]`	Remove last 30% of clipboard text
`[$CLIPBOARD[+10]]`	Append 10 characters

Example: URL Wrapper

Create a macro with hotword /link:

Macro body Check out this link: <a href="[$CLIPBOARD]">[$CLIPBOARD]</a>

Copy a URL, type /link, and the URL is wrapped in an HTML anchor tag.

Interactive Prompts Free

Ask for user input when a macro expands - perfect for templates with variable fields.

Placeholder	Description	Example
`[$PROMPT:Label]`	Text input with label	`Dear [$PROMPT:Name],`
`[$PROMPT:Label:default]`	Text input with default value	`[$PROMPT:City:New York]`

Example: Meeting Follow-up Template

Macro body (/followup) Hi [$PROMPT:Name],

Thanks for meeting on [$DATE:dddd]. Here are the action items:

1. [$PROMPT:Action Item 1]
2. [$PROMPT:Action Item 2]

Let me know if I missed anything.

Best,
[$PROMPT:Your Name:Jane]

When you type /followup, Makro asks for each prompt value before expanding.

Pro tip: The last parameter is the default value. [$PROMPT:Your Name:Jane] pre-fills "Jane" but lets you change it.

Text Transforms Free

Transform text case, trim whitespace, find and replace, and more - all inside your macros.

Placeholder	Description	Example	Output
`[$UPPER:text]`	Convert to UPPERCASE	`[$UPPER:hello world]`	HELLO WORLD
`[$LOWER:text]`	Convert to lowercase	`[$LOWER:Hello World]`	hello world
`[$TITLE:text]`	Convert to Title Case	`[$TITLE:hello world]`	Hello World
`[$TRIM:text]`	Remove leading/trailing whitespace	`[$TRIM: hello ]`	hello
`[$LENGTH:text]`	Character count	`[$LENGTH:hello]`	5
`[$REVERSE:text]`	Reverse characters	`[$REVERSE:hello]`	olleh
`[$SUBSTR:0:5:text]`	Extract substring (0-indexed)	`[$SUBSTR:0:5:Hello World]`	Hello
`[$REPEAT:3:text]`	Repeat N times	`[$REPEAT:3:ha]`	hahaha
`[$URLENCODE:text]`	URL-encode text	`[$URLENCODE:hello world]`	hello%20world

Find & Replace

Placeholder	Description	Example	Output
`[$REPLACE:find:new:text]`	Replace first match	`[$REPLACE:world:earth:hello world]`	hello earth
`[$REGEX:pattern:new:text]`	Regex find/replace	`[$REGEX:\\d+:X:abc123]`	abcX

Example: Auto-Generate a Search URL

Macro body (/google) https://google.com/search?q=[$URLENCODE:[$SELECTION]]

Select "best text expander" then type /google https://google.com/search?q=best%20text%20expander

Example: Clean and Format User Input

Macro body (/format-name) [$TITLE:[$TRIM:[$PROMPT:Enter full name]]]

User enters " jane smith " Jane Smith

Example: Extract Initials from Clipboard

Macro body (/initials) [$UPPER:[$SUBSTR:0:1:[$CLIPBOARD]]]

Clipboard contains "marketing" - type /initials M

Nesting Transforms

Combine transforms by nesting them. Inner placeholders resolve first, then outer ones process the result:

Example: Trim then uppercase [$UPPER:[$TRIM: hello ]] Result: HELLO
Example: Replace then title-case [$TITLE:[$REPLACE:-: :some-kebab-case]] Result: Some Kebab Case

Pro tip: Nesting reads inside-out. [$UPPER:[$TRIM:text]] first trims whitespace, then converts to uppercase.

Math & Logic Free

Evaluate math expressions and use conditional logic in your macros.

Math Expressions

Placeholder	Description	Example	Output
`[$CALC:2+2]`	Addition	`[$CALC:2+2]`	4
`[$CALC:100*0.15]`	Multiplication	`[$CALC:100*0.15]`	15
`[$CALC:(50+25)/3]`	Grouping with parentheses	`[$CALC:(50+25)/3]`	25

Example: Tip Calculator

Macro body (/tip) Bill: $[$PROMPT:Bill amount]
15% tip: $[$CALC:[$PROMPT:Bill amount]*0.15]
20% tip: $[$CALC:[$PROMPT:Bill amount]*0.20]
Total (20%): $[$CALC:[$PROMPT:Bill amount]*1.20]

Example: Discount Calculator

Macro body (/discount) Original price: $[$PROMPT:Price]
20% discount: -$[$CALC:[$PROMPT:Price]*0.20]
You pay: $[$CALC:[$PROMPT:Price]*0.80]

Enter "49.99" when prompted Original price: $49.99
20% discount: -$9.998
You pay: $39.992

Conditional Logic

Use [$IF] / [$ELSE] / [$ENDIF] to include or exclude text based on conditions:

Example: Platform-Aware Response

Macro body (/thanks) [$IF:site=github.com]
Thanks for the pull request! I'll review this shortly.
[$ELSE]
Thanks for reaching out! I'll get back to you soon.
[$ENDIF]

[$MACRO:/sig]

Example: Conditional Signature

Macro body (/sig-smart) Jane Smith
Product Manager
[$IF:site=company.com]Phone: (555) 123-4567
[$ENDIF]jane@company.com

On company.com Jane Smith
Product Manager
Phone: (555) 123-4567
jane@company.com

On any other site Jane Smith
Product Manager
jane@company.com

Pro tip: Conditional blocks can be nested. Use [$IF] to show phone numbers only on internal sites, include disclaimers only on client-facing domains, or change your greeting based on the platform.

Cursor & Tab Stops Free

Control where the cursor lands after expansion and create multi-field templates.

Placeholder	Description	Example
`[$CURSOR]`	Place cursor here after expansion	`Hello [$CURSOR], welcome!`
`[$0] - [$9]`	Tab stops - cursor jumps in order	`To: [$1] Subject: [$2]`
`[$1:default]`	Tab stop with pre-filled default	`[$1:John Doe]`
`[$FILLFORM]`	Trigger form-fill mode	`[$FILLFORM]Name: [$1]`

Example: Email Template with Tab Stops

Macro body (/email) To: [$1:recipient@example.com]
Subject: [$2:Follow-up]

Hi [$3:there],

[$CURSOR]

Best regards,
[$4:Your Name]

After expansion, press Tab to jump between fields [$1] through [$4]. The cursor rests at [$CURSOR] for your message body.

Advanced Placeholders Free

Nested macros, counters, delays, random values, and more.

Placeholder	Description	Example
`[$MACRO:/sig]`	Insert another macro's expansion	`[$MACRO:/sig]`
`[$COUNT]`	Auto-incrementing counter (resets daily)	`Invoice #[$COUNT]`
`[$COUNT:invoices]`	Named counter	`INV-[$COUNT:invoices]`
`[$RANDOM:a,b,c]`	Random value from list	`[$RANDOM:Hi,Hey,Hello]`
`[$WAIT:1000]`	Pause for N milliseconds (max 10,000)	`[$WAIT:500]`
`[$IMAGE:url]`	Insert image from URL	`[$IMAGE:https://...]`

[$RANDOM] - Randomized Text

Pick a random value from a comma-separated list each time the macro expands. Great for keeping repetitive messages fresh.

Live Demo [$RANDOM:Hi there!,Hey!,Hello!,Good to hear from you!]

Hi there! Hey! Hello! Good to hear from you!

Example: Support Greeting Randomizer

Macro body (/hi) [$RANDOM:Hi there!,Hey!,Hello!,Good to hear from you!] How can I help you today?

First expansion Hey! How can I help you today?
Second expansion Good to hear from you! How can I help you today?

Example: Random Sign-Off

Macro body (/bye) [$RANDOM:Best regards,Cheers,Talk soon,All the best],
Jane

Pro tip: [$RANDOM] picks a new value every time the macro expands. Use it for greetings, sign-offs, motivational quotes, or A/B testing email subject lines.

[$COUNT] - Auto-Incrementing Counters

Generate sequential numbers that auto-increment each time you use the macro. Named counters maintain separate sequences.

Example: Invoice Numbering

Macro body (/invoice) INVOICE
Number: INV-[$DATE:YYYYMMDD]-[$COUNT:invoices]
Date: [$DATE:MMMM DD, YYYY]
Bill to: [$PROMPT:Client Name]
Amount: $[$PROMPT:Amount]

Result INVOICE
Number: INV-20260316-001
Date: March 16, 2026
Bill to: Acme Corp
Amount: $1,500

Example: Support Ticket IDs

Macro body (/ticket) Ticket ID: SUPPORT-[$COUNT:support]-[$DATE:MMDD]
Priority: [$PROMPT:Priority:Normal]
Issue: [$PROMPT:Description]

Result Ticket ID: SUPPORT-042-0316
Priority: High
Issue: Login page returns 500 error

Pro tip: The default [$COUNT] resets daily. Named counters like [$COUNT:invoices] maintain their own independent sequence. Use different names for invoices, tickets, reports, etc.

[$MACRO] - Nested Macros

Reference other macros inside a macro body. Build reusable building blocks and compose complex templates.

Example: Composable Email

Macro /greeting [$RANDOM:Hi,Hey,Hello] [$PROMPT:Name],

Macro /sig Best regards,
Jane Smith | Product Manager
jane@company.com

Macro /reply (uses both) [$MACRO:/greeting]

[$CURSOR]

[$MACRO:/sig]

Result of typing /reply Hey Sarah,

[cursor lands here]

Best regards,
Jane Smith | Product Manager
jane@company.com

Example: Multi-Block Legal Email

Macro /legal-reply [$MACRO:/greeting]

[$CURSOR]

[$MACRO:/disclaimer]
[$MACRO:/sig]

Chain as many [$MACRO] references as you need. Each one expands its own placeholders too.

[$WAIT] - Timed Delays

Insert a pause during expansion. Useful when filling forms that need time to process between fields.

Example: Sequential Form Fill

Macro body (/fill-contact) [$FILLFORM][$1:Jane Smith][$WAIT:300][$2:jane@company.com][$WAIT:300][$3:(555) 123-4567]

The [$WAIT:300] gives the page 300ms to process each field before moving to the next. Increase the delay for slower pages.

Pro tip: [$WAIT] accepts values from 1 to 10,000 milliseconds. Use 200-500ms for form fills. Use longer delays when a page needs to load between steps.

Power Combo: Complete Daily Report

See how multiple advanced placeholders work together in a single macro:

Macro body (/standup) Daily Standup #[$COUNT] - [$DATE:dddd, MMMM DD, YYYY]

[$RANDOM:Good morning team!,Hey everyone!,Hi all!]

Yesterday:
- [$PROMPT:What did you do yesterday?]

Today:
- [$PROMPT:What will you do today?]

[$IF:blockers=yes]Blockers:
- [$PROMPT:What is blocking you?]
[$ENDIF]
[$MACRO:/sig]

Result Daily Standup #12 - Monday, March 16, 2026

Hey everyone!

Yesterday:
- Finished the API integration tests

Today:
- Deploy to staging, start on the dashboard UI

Jane Smith | Product Manager
jane@company.com

Power Combo: Smart Customer Reply

Macro body (/smart-reply) [$RANDOM:Hi,Hey,Hello] [$PROMPT:Customer Name],

Thanks for [$IF:site=github.com]your issue report[$ELSE]reaching out[$ENDIF]. [$CURSOR]

Reference: [$COUNT:replies]-[$DATE:MMDD]
[$MACRO:/sig]

Result (on GitHub) Hello Alex,

Thanks for your issue report. [cursor]

Reference: 087-0316
Best regards,
Jane Smith | Product Manager
jane@company.com

Pro tip: Power combos show the real strength of Makro. Start with one placeholder, then layer in [$RANDOM], [$IF], [$COUNT], and [$MACRO] as your workflows get more sophisticated.

Knowledge Base Free

Sticky notes, contacts, terms, specs, and facts Makro can reference, extract from, or ground an AI rewrite in.

Entry Kinds

Kind	Fields
Sticky	Free-form note, no fixed fields
Contact	Name, Role, Email, Phone, Dept
Term	Term, Definition
Spec	Freeform key-value fields you name yourself
Fact	Freeform key-value fields you name yourself

[[Title]] Linking

Type double brackets around a title anywhere in an entry or macro body to cross-reference another Knowledge entry or macro. Makro resolves the link live by title or hotword match; if more than one entry shares a title, the most recently updated one wins.

Placeholder	Description	Example
`[[Return Policy]]`	Cross-references a Knowledge entry or macro titled "Return Policy"	`[[Return Policy]]`

Extract Fields

Local extract Free

Click Extract fields and Makro reads the pasted text immediately - no network call. Every proposed value is checked against the source: its numbers must match whole tokens in the text, and its full value must appear as a contiguous span. Nothing that isn't literally present survives.

AI extract Pro

The + AI extract button adds a second pass from your AI provider. Proposals go through the identical verbatim check as the local pass before they reach the review screen - a guess that invents a number or misquotes the source is discarded, not shown.

Caps: up to 12 fields per extraction, 60-character field keys, 1000-character field values.

Compact for AI

Compact for AI Free

Trims an entry to its essentials for use as AI-grounding context. The saved body is never touched, and Revert to full clears the compacted version anytime.

AI engine Pro

An AI-assisted compaction pass, checked against the same protected-token rule as the local one - negations, numbers, dates, and currency present in the source cannot be dropped.

Grounded-Truth Refusal Pro

Ask Makro to draft something your Knowledge Base can't back and, on an active Pro or Premium license, it says so instead of guessing. You see a dedicated refusal panel naming what wasn't found, not a rewritten answer built on invented specifics.

URL Import Pro

Paste a public page's URL and Makro's server fetches and extracts it into a new entry, encrypted on your device once it's back.

Image-to-Text Capture Beta Premium

Capturing an image's extracted text directly into a Knowledge entry or Page Variable is closed beta, and requires Premium or a local AI provider. This is separate from Smart Copy's free, on-device text extraction, which never touches the Knowledge Base.

Pro tip: [$OCR_RESULT] (Pro/Premium) inserts your last Smart Copy scan directly into a macro body - a separate placeholder from anything captured into the Knowledge Base.

Smart Rewrite Free Pro

Rewrite selected text with AI - make it formal, casual, shorter, or fix grammar. Works locally or via the cloud.

Live Demo

Original hey can u send me the report asap? need it for the meeting thx

Rewritten (Formal) Hi, could you please send me the report at your earliest convenience? I need it for the upcoming meeting. Thank you.

AI Providers

Ollama / LM Studio (Local) Free

Runs entirely on your machine. Free, private, no data leaves your device. Requires Ollama or LM Studio installed locally.

Makro Smart Rewrite Pro

Cloud-powered AI using Llama 3.3 70B via Cloudflare Workers AI. Fast, high-quality rewrites with your Pro license.

Rewrite Actions

Action	What It Does
Make formal	Professional tone for business communication
Make casual	Friendly, conversational tone
Make empathetic	Warm, understanding tone
Make assertive	Confident, direct tone
Fix grammar	Correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation
Simplify	Use simpler words and shorter sentences
Shorten	Make the text more concise
Expand	Add detail and context
Convert to bullets	Turn prose into a bulleted list
Make step-by-step	Convert into numbered steps
Custom instruction	Write your own rewrite prompt

How to Use

1

Select text in any text field

2

Right-click and choose Makro - Rewrite from the context menu

3

Pick an action (formal, casual, shorten, etc.)

4

The selected text is replaced with the rewritten version

Example: Support Reply, Two Tones

Draft hey, saw ur ticket. we dont support that yet but its on the list

After "Make formal" Hello, I saw your ticket. We do not support that feature yet, but it is on our roadmap.

Same result, after "Fix grammar" Hello, I saw your ticket. We don't support that yet, but it's on our roadmap.

Chain actions one after another - each rewrite starts from the previous result, not the original draft.

Pro tip: You can also rewrite from the Makro popup. Select text in a macro body and click the Smart Rewrite button. Full AI guide.

Smart Translate Free

Translate selected text into 12 languages from the same picker Smart Rewrite uses.

Live Demo

Original Hola, gracias por contactarnos. Revisare tu pedido y te respondere pronto.

Rewritten (Translate → English) Hi, thank you for reaching out. I'll review your order and get back to you soon.

How to Use

1

Select text in any text field

2

Right-click and choose Makro - Rewrite Selection (or press Ctrl+Shift+;)

3

Click Translate... in the picker - it's marked with a → language arrow instead of rewriting right away

4

Pick a target language from the dropdown that opens

Supported Languages

Auto-detect (source only, never a target), English, Spanish, French, German, Portuguese (Brazil), Italian, Dutch, Polish, Japanese, Korean, Chinese (Simplified), Arabic - 12 languages in total.

Pro tip: Translate draws from the same credit pool as Smart Rewrite - 1 credit per translation. See Smart Rewrite above for the local-vs-cloud provider split.

Page Variables Beta

Capture a value once from any page, reuse it anywhere with [%VarName]. The mechanism Smart Fill is built on.

Capture a Value

Capture Beta

Right-click a selected value on a page and choose Capture as Page Variable.

Map Beta

Right-click anywhere on a page and choose Map a value to a Page Variable for a hover-pick overlay across the whole page, without needing a text selection first.

Fill a Field

Right-click an editable field and open Fill a field from a Page Variable. The submenu lists your saved variables by name only - values never appear in the menu.

Placeholder	Description	Example
`[%VarName]`	References a captured Page Variable in a macro body	`[%CustomerID]`

The % sigil is reserved for Page Variables, distinct from the $ sigil built-in placeholders use.

Live Mode Pro

Mode	Behavior
Stored	Frozen at capture time. Always returns the same value until you capture again. Free.
Live	Re-reads the page every time the macro fires. Turning a variable ON requires Pro; once on, it stays usable, including after a downgrade - only turning it on fresh needs a license.

Live variables can read from a different frame than the one the macro fires in - cross-frame reads are supported.

Pro tip: Smart Fill's remember-and-refill is built directly on this capture-and-fill mechanism - same beta gate, not a separate tier.

Smart Fill Beta

Capture a form once, fill it in one shot next time. Part of the Page Variables beta program. Password, card, and one-time-code fields are never captured.

Live Demo

Capture Right-click a form → "Capture form for Smart Fill" scans every field

Fill Trigger a fill and the form populates from what was captured or remembered

How It Works

Capture and fill Beta

Right-click any form to scan its fields. Stable per-you fields (name, email, address) are separated from per-case fields (ticket details, order numbers) automatically. Part of the Page Variables beta program.

Remember as identity Beta

Want a field remembered for next time? That's the same Page Variables beta. Auto-fill only happens on an exact match of the site you saved it on - never across sites.

What's Never Captured

Field type	Behavior
Password fields	Never captured, stored, or filled
Card number fields	Never captured, stored, or filled
One-time-code fields	Never captured, stored, or filled
Custom (non-native) widgets	Flagged "fill manually" instead of guessed at

How to Use

1

Right-click a form and choose Capture form for Smart Fill

2

Review the captured fields; stable fields (your details) are separated from per-case fields

3

Optionally remember stable fields as identity values (Page Variables, beta) for next time

4

Trigger a fill on a matching form and the values populate automatically

Smart Fill is built on the same capture mechanism as Page Variables - see Page Variables above.

Pro tip: Remembered values only auto-fill on an exact match of the site you saved them on - never on a different or similar-looking site.

Smart Actions Free

Give a macro a keyboard shortcut that works even when you are not in a text field. A macro body is content by default - to open a web link you say so with [$OPENURL].

How It Works

1

Assign a shortcut to a macro in its editor (Smart Actions are off until you set one)

2

Press the shortcut anywhere - it fires even when no text field is focused

3

Inside a text field, the resolved body is inserted as usual. Outside a text field, the resolved body is copied to your clipboard so you can paste or send it.

Because a macro body is content by default, a plain web link is text you can send - it is not opened. When you want a shortcut to open a link in a new tab, add the [$OPENURL:target] placeholder.

Placeholder	Description	Example
`[$OPENURL:target]`	Open target in a new tab (http/https only). Inserts nothing. Other schemes are refused.	`[$OPENURL:https://status.example.com]`
`[$SELECTION_OR_CLIPBOARD]`	The highlighted selection if there is one, otherwise the clipboard contents	`https://ipinfo.io/[$SELECTION_OR_CLIPBOARD]`

Example: Support Link You Can Send

A macro body that is content. Trigger the shortcut while no text field is focused and the link is copied to your clipboard, ready to paste into a chat or ticket. Trigger it inside a reply box and the link is inserted in place.

Macro body (shortcut: Ctrl+Shift+1) https://support.makroexpander.com

Fire the shortcut with no text field focused Copied: https://support.makroexpander.com

Example: Open an IP Lookup for the Selected Text

Highlight an IP address (or copy one), fire the shortcut, and Makro opens the lookup in a new tab. [$SELECTION_OR_CLIPBOARD] uses your selection when there is one and falls back to the clipboard. [$OPENURL] resolves last, so the address is already filled in before the tab opens, and nothing is inserted into the page.

Macro body (shortcut: Ctrl+Shift+2) [$OPENURL:https://ipinfo.io/[$SELECTION_OR_CLIPBOARD]]

With "8.8.8.8" highlighted, fire the shortcut Opens https://ipinfo.io/8.8.8.8 in a new tab (nothing inserted)

Pro tip: [$OPENURL] opens http and https links only - other schemes are refused for safety. Use bare [$SELECTION] instead of [$SELECTION_OR_CLIPBOARD] when you want the shortcut to do nothing if nothing is highlighted.

Search & Quick Access Free

Find and insert macros instantly with the search overlay.

Live Demo

sig

/sig Email Signature

/signoff Meeting Sign-off

/signature-formal Formal Signature

Keyboard Shortcut

Press Ctrl+Shift+Space to open the search overlay from any text field.

How It Works

1

Press Ctrl+Shift+Space to open search

2

Start typing to fuzzy-search across all macros

3

Use ↑↓ arrow keys to navigate results

4

Press Enter to insert the selected macro

Pro tip: The search overlay matches hotwords, titles, and macro body text. It even filters by category.

Context Menu & Shortcuts Free

Quick access to your macros via right-click menu and keyboard shortcuts.

Context Menu

Right-click in any text field to see your macros organized by category. The menu shows:

Top 10 Most-Used

Your most frequently expanded macros appear at the top for quick access.

Last 5 Recent

Recently used macros are grouped separately so you can re-use them fast.

Keyboard Shortcuts

Shortcut	Action
`Ctrl`+`Shift`+`Space`	Open search overlay
`Ctrl`+`Shift`+`A`	Quick add a new macro
`Ctrl`+`Shift`+`L`	Repeat last expanded macro
`Alt`+`Shift`+`V`	Open clipboard history

Pro tip: All shortcuts are customizable in Settings. Change them to avoid conflicts with other extensions.

Categories & Organization Free

Organize macros into a nested category hierarchy up to 3 levels deep.

Category Hierarchy

Categories support up to 3 levels of nesting:

Work
  Email Templates
    Customer Support
    Sales Outreach
  Code Snippets
Personal
  Signatures

Category Operations

Action	How
Create	Click the folder icon in the macro list header
Rename	Right-click a category - Rename
Move	Right-click a category - Move to...
Delete	Right-click a category - Delete (removes all macros inside)
Add subcategory	Right-click a category - New subcategory

Example: Splitting a Growing Library

A flat list of 40 macros in "Top Level" gets hard to scan. Reorganize it with the operations above:

Before Top Level (40 macros, no structure)

Steps Create "Work" and "Personal" - Move relevant macros into each - Add subcategory "Email Templates" under Work - Add subcategory "Customer Support" under Email Templates

After Work > Email Templates > Customer Support
Work > Email Templates > Sales Outreach
Work > Code Snippets
Personal > Signatures

Pro tip: Every macro must belong to a category. The default category is "Top Level". You can have up to 5,000 total categories.

Cloud Sync Pro

Sync your macros across all your devices with zero-knowledge encryption.

How Sync Works

1

Enter your license key in Settings - this derives your encryption key

2

Push to cloud - macros are encrypted on your device, then uploaded

3

Pull on another device - encrypted blob is downloaded and decrypted locally

Zero-Knowledge Encryption

Your macros are encrypted with AES-256-GCM before leaving your device. The server stores only encrypted blobs and never has access to your plaintext data. Even if the server were compromised, your macros remain private.

Sync Operations

Operation	Description
Push to Cloud	Upload your local macros (encrypted) to the server
Pull from Cloud	Download and decrypt cloud macros to this device
Force Replace from Cloud	Overwrite local macros with cloud version
Force Replace to Cloud	Overwrite cloud with local macros (rate-limited)

Device Management

View all synced devices, set custom device names, and deactivate devices you no longer use - all from the Settings panel.

Example: New Laptop, Five Minutes

1

On the new laptop, enter your license key in Settings

2

On your original device, Push to Cloud if you haven't already

3

On the new laptop, Pull from Cloud - your macros decrypt locally

4

If the new device had stale local macros first, use Force Replace from Cloud instead

Pro tip: Makro creates automatic backups before every sync pull and force replace, so your data is always recoverable.

Makro for Teams Pro

Share a team voice and Knowledge Base across a workspace, from $7 per seat.

Getting Started

1

Sign in at teams.makroexpander.com with a license key, or generate one on the spot

2

Name your workspace

3

Start using a free 3-member trial immediately - no invoice, no card, no sales call

Paid seats are $7/member/month through Polar, no minimum term, cancel anytime. Self-serve checkout scales to 500 seats. Paid members get 25,000 AI credits/month and cloud sync across up to 3 devices.

What Changes in the Extension

Team voice banner

A banner above the editor names your workspace, how many team macros are shared, and when the shared Knowledge Base last updated.

Read-only Team section

Team macros list under your personal macros. Click one to copy its body - there's no edit or delete from a member seat. Your own macros always win a hotword conflict with a team macro.

Team content refreshes on a 15-minute cycle or a manual refresh button, not instantly on every change.

Pro tip: See the full admin portal, billing, and what Teams doesn't do yet (no SSO, no SCIM, no SOC 2 certificate) on the Teams page.

Backup & Restore Free

Protect your macros with automatic and manual backups.

Auto-Backup

Enable automatic backups in Settings. Choose a schedule:

Daily

Backs up once every 24 hours.

Weekly

Backs up once every 7 days.

Monthly

Backs up once every 30 days.

Password-Protected

Every backup file Makro writes to your device is encrypted with your password. Scheduled backups reuse one you store once; until you set it, they pause.

Automatic Safety Backups

Makro automatically creates internal backups before these operations:

Trigger	When
Extension update	Before Makro updates to a new version
Sync pull	Before downloading macros from the cloud
Import	Before importing macros from a file
Force replace	Before overwriting local or cloud data

Manual Backup & Restore

Use the Export button in the Makro popup to create a backup file. It asks for a password and encrypts the file with it. Import it on any device with that password to restore your macros.

Pro tip: Internal backups are automatic safety snapshots kept encrypted in the extension's local storage, and they never leave your device. They are tied to the browser profile that made them, so they cannot help if that profile is lost. Use manual export for off-device backups you can store in cloud drives or email to yourself.

Clipboard History Free

Automatically capture and search your clipboard history with smart filtering for sensitive data.

How It Works

When enabled, Makro captures clipboard contents as you copy text. All entries are encrypted with AES-256-GCM and stored locally.

Smart Filtering

Makro automatically detects and excludes sensitive data from clipboard history:

Credit Card Numbers

Patterns matching card numbers are auto-excluded.

Social Security Numbers

SSN patterns (XXX-XX-XXXX) are detected and blocked.

API Keys & Passwords

Common API key and password patterns are filtered.

Private Keys

PEM and RSA private key formats are excluded.

Using Clipboard History

Press Alt+Shift+V to open clipboard history. Search through past entries and click to insert.

Settings

Setting	Description	Default
Max history items	Number of clipboard entries to keep	50
Auto-clear	Clear sensitive data after N seconds	Off
Show source	Display where each clip was copied from	Off
Custom filters	Add your own regex patterns to exclude	None

Pro tip: Add custom filter patterns in Settings for organization-specific sensitive data like internal IDs or account numbers.

Import & Export Free

Import macros from 9+ text expander tools or export your Makro library as JSON.

Supported Import Formats

Makro JSON TextExpander Text Blaze Espanso AutoHotkey Alfred Beeftext PhraseExpress CSV

How to Import

1

Open the Makro popup and click Import

2

Drag and drop your export file, or click to browse

3

Makro auto-detects the format and converts placeholders

4

Review any conflicts (duplicate hotwords) and confirm

Placeholder Conversion

Makro automatically converts placeholders from other tools:

Tool	Their Syntax	Makro Equivalent
TextExpander	`%clipboard`	`[$CLIPBOARD]`
TextExpander	`%\|`	`[$CURSOR]`
Text Blaze	`{clipboard}`	`[$CLIPBOARD]`
Text Blaze	`{time}`	`[$TIME]`
Espanso	`{{clipboard}}`	`[$CLIPBOARD]`
AutoHotkey	`%clipboard%`	`[$CLIPBOARD]`
Alfred	`{cursor}`	`[$CURSOR]`
PhraseExpress	`{#clipboard}`	`[$CLIPBOARD]`

Export

Click Export in the Makro popup to download your entire macro library as a JSON file. Makro asks for a password and encrypts the file with it, so keep the password somewhere safe: without it the backup cannot be read. The file includes all categories, subcategories, and macros.

Pro tip: Visit the Switch to Makro page for detailed step-by-step migration guides from each tool.

Starter Packs Free

Pre-built macro collections for common industries and roles. Install with one click.

🏠

Real Estate

Property listings, showings, offers

🎧

Customer Service

Support templates, responses

💻

Engineering

Code snippets, PR templates

📣

Marketing

Copywriting, social media

📈

Sales

Outreach, follow-ups, proposals

⚖️

Legal

Contracts, clauses, disclaimers

How to Install a Pack

1

Open the Makro popup and go to Packs

2

Browse available packs and click Install

3

The macros are added to your library in a new category

Pro tip: Starter packs are a great way to see what Makro can do. Install one, then customize the macros to fit your workflow.

Settings & Customization Free

Customize Makro to fit your workflow - themes, shortcuts, blocked sites, and more.

Appearance

Setting	Options
Theme	Workbench (dark), Light
Menu format	Pipes (\|), Slashes (/), or Bullets (-)

Behavior

Setting	What It Does
Blocked sites	List of domains where Makro won't expand hotwords
Show top 10 menu	Display most-used macros in context menu
Show last 5 menu	Display recent macros in context menu
Folders first	Show categories before macros in context menu

Customizable Shortcuts

All keyboard shortcuts can be changed in Settings to avoid conflicts with other extensions or applications.

AI Settings

Setting	Description
AI provider	Choose between Ollama / LM Studio (local) and Makro Cloud
Local AI endpoint	Custom URL for your local AI server (Ollama or LM Studio)
Prompt style	Natural or Detailed rewrite prompts
Semantic suggestions	AI-powered macro suggestions based on context
Custom prompts	Create your own rewrite instructions

Pro tip: Block sites like banking portals or password managers where you don't want hotwords to trigger accidentally.