How to toggle expansions on and off in TypeWell Transcriber (and TypeWell Everywhere)

Or: Why aren’t my abbreviations expanding?

TypeWell Transcriber is a text expansion program used by trained professionals to provide real-time communication access. When you type an abbreviation (like gvmt), the software automatically expands it to the full word (like government). These expansions follow sophisticated rules based on a built-in 4-million-word dictionary, which can be customized by each transcriber using personalized abbreviation lists (PALs).

By default, abbreviation expansions are enabled. But sometimes, a transcriber may want to disable expansions so they can type letter by letter.

How to toggle off expansions completely

Option 1: Use a keyboard shortcut

Press Ctrl + E to quickly toggle abbreviation expansion on or off.

Option 2: Use the menu

Click the Turbo or Classic menu (depending on your version), then select Abbreviation Expansion.

✅ If expansions are on, a check mark will appear next to Abbreviation Expansion.
❌ If expansions are off, the check mark will disappear.

Tip: If your expansions don’t seem to be working, check this setting first! It’s one of the most common causes of unexpected behavior in the TypeWell Transcriber window.

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How to prevent just one word from expanding

If you want to prevent one specific abbreviation from expanding (without turning off expansions entirely), use either of these shortcuts:

• Type a period before the abbreviation, like .govt → will appear as “govt”
• Type two periods after the abbreviation, like govt.. → will appear as “govt”

This is useful when referencing acronyms, usernames, or abbreviations you don’t want expanded.

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A note about TypeWell Everywhere

If you're using TypeWell Everywhere to type into other programs—like Zoom, Microsoft Word, or a web browser—you can enable or disable abbreviation expansion on a per-program basis. However, the keyboard shortcuts are also different from those used in the TypeWell Transcriber window.

For full details and to learn those TypeWell Everywhere keyboard shortcuts, see:
How to use the Everywhere features integrated into the TypeWell Transcriber program