---
title: "Create and insert snippets"
summary: "Set up a text once and insert it with a trigger while you dictate, with placeholders for date, time and year."
url: "https://help.medisynchealth.ai/en/dictate/snippets"
product: "MediSync Dictate"
platforms: ["windows","macos"]
access: "public"
updated: "2026-11-11"
version: "Dictate 0.4.0-beta.6"
---

# Create and insert snippets

Set up a text once and insert it with a trigger while you dictate, with placeholders for date, time and year.

In the sidebar, open **Personalize › Snippets**. A snippet has a trigger and a text. When you say the trigger while dictating, Dictate puts the whole text in its place.

Dictate applies snippets on these plans: Basic, Professional and Dedicated. On other plans the page shows your snippets locked, and **New snippet** and **Import** are greyed out.

## Create a snippet

1. Click **New snippet** at the top right. The **Add snippet** dialog opens.
2. Under **Trigger**, enter what you say while dictating, for example "my signature".
3. Under **Text**, enter the text. Several lines are fine.
4. Click **Add**. `Ctrl` + `Enter` saves straight from the text field, `Cmd` + `Enter` on a Mac.

Below the page title there are examples with **Add**, such as a signature or a findings template. A click opens the dialog already filled in. **Hide examples** removes them.

| Field | At most |
| --- | --- |
| **Trigger** | 80 characters |
| **Text** | 4000 characters, the counter below the field shows how many you have |

Each trigger exists only once. Capitals, punctuation and hyphens do not count for this.

## Insert placeholders

Below the text field is **Insert placeholder**. A click on a placeholder puts it at the cursor. When the snippet is inserted, Dictate replaces it:

| Placeholder | Becomes |
| --- | --- |
| `{date}` | today's date |
| `{time}` | the current time, for example 14:30 |
| `{year}` | the current year |

The German names `{datum}`, `{uhrzeit}` and `{jahr}` work too. Dictate writes the date and time in the format of your dictation language. Below the list, the **Placeholders** line shows what each placeholder gives right now.

## Insert a snippet while dictating

Say the trigger in your dictation. Dictate replaces it with the text. The trigger can stand alone or be part of a longer dictation. Punctuation, hyphens and spaces between the words of the trigger do not matter: "findings-template" also matches when speech recognition writes "findings template".

Dictate inserts the text exactly as you saved it. Smart Dictation does not change it, not even capitals or punctuation.

## Change and delete snippets

Move the mouse over a snippet. The pencil opens **Edit snippet**, the bin deletes it. After a delete, **Undo** brings it back.

Above the list are **Search** and **Sort**. The search finds triggers and text. The list shows up to 200 snippets.

## Bring in and back up snippets

- To bring snippets from Dragon or Wispr Flow, use **Import**, see [Import your vocabulary](https://help.medisynchealth.ai/en/dictate/import-vocabulary).
- **Export** on the **Dictionary** page saves words and snippets in one file. **Cloud backup** there backs up both in your account. See [Dictionary](https://help.medisynchealth.ai/en/dictate/wordbook-and-text-blocks).
- Snippets are yours only. A team dictionary holds words only.
- The [voice profile](https://help.medisynchealth.ai/en/dictate/voice-profile) suggests sentences you often dictate the same way as snippets.