Activation Modes: As-You-Type by Default, Hotkey on Demand

By default, Lightning Assist fires your snippets the moment you finish typing them — no hotkey, no extra key press. You type your trigger — any short text you choose, like ;meeting or addr — and the expansion happens inline as you type. A leading character like ; is optional: it just keeps your trigger distinct from words you type normally. If you'd rather have an explicit trigger, switch to Hotkey Mode in one click. Either way, you stay in full control.

Part of the Lightning Assist text expander — the cross-platform productivity app for Windows, macOS, and Linux.

How Your Snippets Fire — Default and Optional

Lightning Assist starts in Inline mode (snippets expand as you type), because most people want the fastest possible flow. Hotkey mode is the alternative if you want every expansion to require a deliberate key press. The mode applies to all your snippets: you switch between the two on the app's Activation screen, and your choice is saved with your account, so it follows you to every computer you sign in on.

Default — Inline (as you type)

Type your trigger — the exact text you chose for the snippet, such as ;meeting or addr. Lightning Assist recognises it and replaces it inline with your snippet text. No hotkey, no menu, no extra step. Each snippet has an abbreviation and an optional prefix, a symbol such as ; or / that keeps it distinct from ordinary writing; it's your choice, snippet by snippet. By default the expansion is instant — the snippet fires the moment you finish typing the trigger. If your triggers are sometimes real words you also type, give them a distinctive leading character so they only fire when you mean them to.

Why we made this the default: typing your trigger costs you zero hand movement and zero context switch. Compared to reaching for a hotkey, it's measurably faster across long writing sessions — and choosing a distinctive trigger (for example one with a leading ;) all but eliminates the risk of an accidental expansion in normal prose.

Optional — Hotkey mode

Type your snippet's abbreviation (for example, meeting), then press your hotkey to fire the expansion. You pick the key from a list in the app: function keys such as F1, or combinations like Alt+Y, Ctrl+Alt+E or Ctrl+Shift+Space. Nothing happens until you press it. Best if you want an unambiguous, deliberate trigger — for example if your abbreviations are real words you also type as regular text, or if you prefer to confirm every expansion. Hotkey mode also adds Preview Snippet, a second key that opens a searchable list of your snippets.

Two expansion styles inside Inline mode

Instant (default) — the snippet fires the moment you finish typing the trigger. Zero delay. Ideal when your triggers are unique tokens that never appear in normal writing (e.g. ;meeting, ;sig, ;reply).
After space (optional) — the snippet waits until you press the space bar before it fires. This way the space character itself is the activator, which is helpful if you want a small "commit" step before every expansion, or if your snippet keys sometimes appear inside longer typed words. With After space you can also turn on "Expand also after comma or period", so a comma or period typed right after the shortcut fires it too.

How to switch modes or styles

Open Lightning Assist and choose Activation in the main menu. Under "Choose how snippets activate", pick Inline (the default) or Hotkey; in Inline, pick Instant or After space. Your choice is saved with your account and syncs across devices.

Privacy note: both modes do all matching locally on your device. Your keystrokes never leave your computer and are never transmitted to our servers or any third party — see the Privacy Policy for full details.

What are Triggers?

Triggers are the signals that tell Lightning Assist to fire a snippet. In the default Inline mode the trigger is the text you type — the exact shortcut you set for the snippet, such as ;sig or addr. In Hotkey mode the trigger is a key you press after typing the snippet's abbreviation.

Other features have their own shortcuts: AI Enhance for selected text, push-to-talk AI Speech, and the Quick Access window. Each shortcut belongs to one feature, and the app tells you if a key you pick is already in use.

Types of Triggers

Execute Snippet: In the default Inline mode, snippets expand the moment you finish typing the shortcut (e.g. ;sig) — no key to press. Execute Snippet is the key for Hotkey mode: type the snippet's abbreviation, then press it to expand. It appears on the Activation screen only in Hotkey mode, next to Preview Snippet.
AI Enhance and AI Commands: Select text and press AI Enhance (Alt+Shift+K by default on Windows; Option+Shift+K on macOS; Ctrl+Alt+K on Linux) to open the AI Command window, where you write an instruction or pick a quick action. Commands you save can each have their own shortcut: Ctrl+Shift plus a key (Cmd+Shift on a Mac).
Quick Access Trigger: Fixed at Alt + C (or ⌥ + C on macOS). Opens the Quick Access Window.
AI Speech (push-to-talk): Hold Ctrl + Win on Windows, Ctrl + Cmd on macOS or Ctrl + Super on Linux, speak, and release. These keys are fixed.

How to Configure Triggers

Open the Activation Screen - Open Lightning Assist and choose Activation in the main menu.
Choose a Mode - Under "Choose how snippets activate", pick Inline (snippets expand as you type) or Hotkey (you press a key to expand).
Pick Your Hotkey - In Hotkey mode, the Keyboard shortcuts card shows Execute Snippet and Preview Snippet. Click Change next to one and pick a key from the list. It is saved right away.
Turn Shortcuts On or Off - Each shortcut on the Keyboard shortcuts card has an Active switch. Turn one off and its feature won't respond to its key.
Test It - Type one of your shortcuts in another app, such as your email client, to check that it expands and doesn't clash with that app's own shortcuts.

Common Trigger Configurations

Text Expansion

In Inline mode no key is needed: the shortcut itself fires the snippet. In Hotkey mode, function keys such as F1 or F2 are the usual choice. On Linux under Wayland, a single key can't be reserved system-wide, so the list there shows Ctrl combinations such as Ctrl+Alt+E or Ctrl+Shift+Space.

AI Commands

AI Enhance uses Alt+Shift+K by default (Option+Shift+K on macOS, Ctrl+Alt+K on Linux). Saved AI Commands can each get a Ctrl+Shift shortcut (Cmd+Shift on a Mac), such as Ctrl+Shift+A.

Speech-to-Text

Ctrl + Win on Windows, Ctrl + Cmd on macOS, Ctrl + Super on Linux: hold to record, release to transcribe. These keys are fixed, so they work the same on every installation.

Quick Access

Fixed at Alt+C (or ⌥ + C on macOS) and cannot be customized. This ensures consistency across all installations.

Best Practices for Triggers

Choose Comfortable Keys: Select triggers that are easy to reach and comfortable to press frequently.
Avoid Conflicts: Make sure your triggers don't conflict with other applications or system shortcuts.
Use Modifier Keys: Modifier keys (Ctrl, Alt, Shift) help prevent accidental triggers in normal typing.
Test Thoroughly: Test your triggers in different applications to ensure they work correctly everywhere.
Keep It Simple: Simple, memorable triggers are better than complex combinations that are hard to remember.

Troubleshooting Triggers

Trigger Not Working

If a snippet doesn't fire, check that Lightning Assist is ON (the switch at the top of the app) and, in Hotkey mode, that the Active switch next to Execute Snippet is on. Also check that no other application uses the same key.

Conflicts with Other Apps

If your trigger conflicts with another application, try a different key combination. Modifier keys (Ctrl, Alt, Shift) often help avoid conflicts.

Trigger Works in Some Apps But Not Others

Some applications may capture certain keys before Lightning Assist can process them. Try a different trigger key or check the application's keyboard shortcut settings.

Configure Your Triggers

Choose how your snippets fire and which keys you press. Start your free trial and set up Lightning Assist your way.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What's the default — do my snippets expand automatically, or do I need a hotkey?

By default, snippets expand automatically. Lightning Assist starts in Inline mode, so you just type your shortcut — for example ;meeting — and the expansion fires as you type, with no hotkey press. Each snippet's shortcut is its abbreviation, with an optional prefix like ; that keeps it distinct from ordinary words. If you'd prefer an explicit trigger, switch to Hotkey on the app's Activation screen; your snippets will then expand only when you press your hotkey.

What's the difference between Instant and After-space expansion?

These are two styles inside the default Inline mode. Instant (the default) fires the snippet the moment you finish typing the trigger, with zero delay. After space is optional — the snippet waits until you press the space bar before it fires, so the space character itself becomes the activator. Pick After space if your triggers are real words that sometimes appear inside longer text you type; pick Instant if your triggers are unique tokens like ;sig or ;reply that never collide with normal writing.

Is Inline mode safe? Does it send my keystrokes anywhere?

Yes, it's safe and local-only. All pattern detection runs entirely on your device, and your keystrokes are never transmitted to any server or third party. To power phrase discoveries, the app can count phrases you retype — that count lives only on your computer, is never sent anywhere, and turns off together with the suggestions setting (see the Privacy Policy for details). The only related information our servers store is your chosen activation mode, saved with your account settings.

Can I use the same trigger for multiple features?

No. Each shortcut belongs to one feature. If you pick a key that is already in use, for example by Preview Snippet, the app tells you.

Why can't I customize the Quick Access trigger?

Quick Access is fixed at Alt+C to ensure consistency across all installations and prevent conflicts. This is a design decision to maintain reliability.

How do I enable or disable a trigger?

Open the app's Activation screen and use the Active switch next to each shortcut on the Keyboard shortcuts card. A shortcut that is off won't activate its feature.

Can I use function keys as triggers?

Yes. In Hotkey mode you can pick F1, F2, F3, F4, F6, F7, F8, F9, F10 or F12 for Execute Snippet. Function keys can clash with an app's own shortcuts (F1 often opens Help), and on Linux under Wayland a single key can't be reserved system-wide, so choose a Ctrl combination there.