Add a checkbox shortcut to TextExpander

I’ve been wanting a quick way to insert a checkbox (☐) character into a text file.  TextExpander to the rescue. I created the snippet from from my Mac to find the character I wanted, but it will now work on iOS too.

First, you need to be able to view the Character Viewer on your Mac. Open the System Preferences and choose Keyboard.

Keyboard Preference Pane
Keyboard Preference Pane

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then, click “Show Keyboard & Character Viewers in menu bar. You will see an icon next to the clock.

Character Map Icon
Character Map Icon

 

 

 

 

Click on that and choose Character Viewer.

Show Character Viewer
Show Character Viewer

 

 

 

 

Second, find the checkbox that you want from the available fonts.

Character Viewer
Character Viewer

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then, right click and copy.

Copy
Copy

 

 

 

 

 

Paste into a new TextExpander Snippet (after removing the unnecessary information). Name the snippet.

New Snippet
New Snippet
Character Viewer Info
Character Viewer Info

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The next time you want a checkbox to appear, type your snippet. As I mentioned, this works on both the Mac and iOS versions.