Search Text Replacement list in macOS Keyboard settings

The following can output in the Terminal, the Text Replacements from the hidden ~/Library/Preferences/.GlobalPreferences.plist file using the -g switch:

defaults read -g NSUserDictionaryReplacementItems

and this will output a new XML .plist file to your Desktop containing the text replacements dictionaries:

/usr/libexec/PlistBuddy -x -c "print ':NSUserDictionaryReplacementItems'" /Users/ckhowe/Library/Preferences/\.GlobalPreferences.plist > repl.plist
plutil -p ~/Desktop/repl.plist

Bring up the System Settings-> Keyboard-> Text Replacement display.

Start typing the trigger phrase. There is no search box, you just start typing.

Scroll up 1 line, and your replacement will be there at the bottom of the window.

It is a pain, but it works.

When editing your text replacement, I have found it is best to click on another replacement to lock in my change, BEFORE clicking the “Done” button. If I just click “Done” my changes are lost. Yet another pain.

Also when composing long (up to 2,000 characters max) replacements, I find it best to use Applications-> TextEdit and change the document mode to a Text file, and not Rich Text. Doing this allows you to have paragraphs and white space in your longer replacements.

Also, if you share your Keychain via iCloud, DO NOT edit your longer replacements on your iPhone or iPad, as you will loose the white space, and newlines. It is fine to edit simple replacements, where there is no white space and newlines to preserve.

Finally, there is a .plist file in the $HOME/Library/Preferences folder, where your Text Replacements are stored. You CANNOT directly edit this file, I have tried. However, you can use BBEdit to view and search the .plist for things that are not the trigger phrase. BBEdit has a free to use mode which works well in viewing .plist files.

The Text Replacements are stored in

$HOME/Library/Preferences/.GlobalPreferences.plist

$HOME is your home folder. Or /Users/your-short-user-name/Library/Preferences/

Because or the leading period in .GlobalPreferences.plist, the file will not typically be displayed. If using BBEdit, then in the Open dialog box, there is a "Show Options" button. Click that and enable "[X] Show hidden items"

NOTE: The .plist file is not pretty, but if you know you wrote a Text Replacement, but cannot remember the trigger phrase, you can search all the Text Replacements in BBEdit, including words in the replacement text, and from that find what the trigger phrase is.

Again, you cannot directly edit the .GlobalPreferences.plist, as the system ignores your changes. You really have to work through the System Settings -> Keyboard -> Text Replacement interface to change any of the entries.

I have over a hundred Text Replacements. I used them for "Canned" replies to discussions.apple.com forum questions. Things like feedback, Safe mode, out of applications memory, a bunch of Apple Watch "Canned" replies. I also use Text Replacement for "Canned" answers to co-workers posting on Slack.

Because I can have up to 2,000 characters (including spaces, and newlines), I use TextEdit -> Format (menu) -> Make Plain Text, to compose the longer ones, then copy and paste the TextEdit composition into the Text Replacement "With" field. If I need to do additional editing, I open an empty TextEdit plain text window, and use the trigger phrase to insert the current Text Replacement, then make my edits, Select All, Copy, then Paste into the Text Replacement "With" field. Click on another entry in the window, then click "Done".

I also share my Text Replacements via iCloud by sharing my Keychain. My iPhone can then use anything I've composed on my Mac. I have found I CANNOT compose anything really long, especially if I want white space and paragraphs, on my iPhone, as I loose all the white space when I compose it on the iPhone either in the Text Replacement window, or in another app, then paste it. All my nice formatting is lost.

System Setting >> Keyboard >> Text Input > Text Replacements

Click on Text Replacements which with open another Pop Up

When I click + to add a text replacement, if what I type matches an existing abbreviation, there is immediate feedback:

You are welcome for sending you to the right place to find where Text Replacements can be found

You are also welcome for alerting you to the Tahoe update 26.2 which your user byline indicates the computer is running " MacBook Air 15″, macOS 26.1 "

What keyboard combination are expecting to " Search for Text Replacements " ?

While at it

There is an update to Tahoe released Friday Dec 12

About the security content of macOS Tahoe 26.2

I do say I am sorry

You posting Was Appearing in macOS 14 Sonoma and I requested it be move to macOS 26 Tahoe

Unfortunately it seems it ws move to macOS 15 Sequoia

Oh well, such is life

I still do not see a specific means to Search within the supplied screen shot

I do see via Secondary Click to Export or Import but Search -