v1.8.1
Choose your AI

New
Choose your AI when you set up Makro: Makro Cloud (works right away, 25 free Smart Rewrites a month, nothing to install) or Local AI on your device. Your text is encrypted in transit and never used to train AI either way.
Already using Makro on Local AI without a local model? If you never picked a setup, a one-tap card switches you to free Cloud AI so Smart Rewrite just works.
Also new since your last update
Identity placeholders: set your name and team once in Settings, then [$MY_NAME] and [$MY_TEAM] fill themselves in on any site - so one shared macro signs off correctly for whoever runs it.
Ticket placeholders for support replies - [$TICKET_EMAIL], [$TICKET_ID], [$TICKET_COMPANY] - discoverable from the editor sidebar and the [$ autocomplete, with sample values shown as you write.
Rosetta Stone: when you build a macro inside Zendesk or FreeScout's own template editor, Makro tokens turn into that platform's native placeholder syntax automatically.
A free Helpdesk Tickets starter pack showing the new vocabulary in action.
Placeholders in the editor render as colored chips. Click any chip to edit its settings in an inspector (dates, times, prompts, choices) instead of hand-typing the syntax.
A builder for IF conditions: create show-this-when-that rules from dropdowns, no bracket syntax required.
Live preview: toggle Preview to see exactly what your macro will paste, with every placeholder resolved.
Makro now works inside rich-text editors that run in their own frame (Zendesk-style composers).
Improved
One shared safety wall now guards every Makro feature that opens or fetches a link, with consistent blocking of private and internal addresses.

v1.8.0
2026-06-12
Latest
Helpdesk placeholders

New

Identity placeholders: set your name and team once in Settings, then [$MY_NAME] and [$MY_TEAM] resolve on any site. One shared macro signs off correctly for whoever runs it.
Ticket placeholders for support replies - [$TICKET_EMAIL], [$TICKET_ID], [$TICKET_COMPANY] - discoverable from the editor sidebar and the [$ autocomplete, with sample values shown in the editor. They prompt you to fill in until automatic look-up arrives for your helpdesk.
Rosetta Stone: inside Zendesk or FreeScout template editors, Makro tokens emit that platform's native placeholder syntax (for example [$TICKET_ID] becomes {{ticket.id}} on Zendesk).
A free Helpdesk Tickets starter pack demonstrating the new vocabulary.


Improved

One shared safety wall now guards every Makro feature that opens or fetches a link, blocking private and internal addresses consistently.


v1.7.1
2026-06-11
The visual macro editor
New

Placeholders in the editor now render as colored chips. Click any chip to edit its settings in an inspector (dates, times, prompts, choices) instead of hand-typing the syntax.
A builder for IF conditions: create show-this-when-that rules from dropdowns, no bracket syntax required.
Live preview: toggle Preview to see exactly what your macro will paste, with every placeholder resolved.
Day-count placeholders: [$DAYSUNTIL:2026-12-25] inserts the number of days until a date, [$DAYSSINCE:2026-01-01] the days since one, with a calendar picker in the editor.
Makro now works inside rich-text editors that run in their own frame (Zendesk-style composers): hotword expansion activates there, and on-device language detection (beta) can read the conversation from the surrounding page. Same-origin frames only.


Beta

Language tabs: keep one macro in several languages, with AI translation that protects your placeholders - they are masked before translation and verified intact after.
On-device language detection: Makro can detect the language of the conversation you are replying to and expand the matching language copy. Detection runs entirely on your device; page text never leaves your browser.


Improved

Security hardening across license validation, sync, and link-opening placeholders, from our June security audit.


---v1.6.1 — "Copy macros anywhere, plus broader and more reliable expansion"

New
- Copy button in the editor: copy a macro (placeholders resolved) to your clipboard and paste it anywhere, including Google Docs, where direct insertion is not possible.

Improved
- Macros now expand in search bars and more field types, not just standard text boxes.
- More reliable expansion on dynamic, single-page sites that swap out fields as you type.
- Date placeholders like [$DATE+7d] now preview correctly in the editor, with a hint if the unit is missing.

v1.6.0
2026-06-03
Latest
Editor autocomplete for placeholders
New

Type [$ in the editor to search your placeholders by name and insert them, without remembering the exact spelling.


Bug fixes

Expand in more input windows!


v1.5.10
2026-05-28
Latest
Recover your license key yourself
New

Lost your license key? A new "Lost your key?" link in the popup lets you recover it: enter your account email and we email you a link to your customer portal, where your license key is shown.


v1.5.9
2026-05-23
Full translations in six languages, and free Team Pack import
New

The entire popup is now translated in German, Spanish, French, Japanese, Korean, and Brazilian Portuguese (previously some panels fell back to English).


Improved

Importing a shared Team Pack is now free on every plan.


Fixed

Placeholder examples (like [$DATE]) and plan prices now display correctly in the editor.
The placeholder chip grid no longer overflows the advanced editor.


v1.5.8
2026-05-21
Redact sensitive text, and calmer macro suggestions
New

New [$REDACT:[$SELECTION]] placeholder masks emails and phone numbers in the selected text while keeping a verifiable hint (for example j****@gmail.com or ***-***-1234), so you can share screenshots or confirm contact details without exposing them.


Improved

The macro suggestion box is calmer: it no longer covers the text you are typing, dismisses when you press Enter to send, fades out on its own, and a new match-strength slider lets you control how often it appears.


Fixed

"Extract Text" (OCR) works again on images hosted anywhere on the web.
The macro editor now flags an unclosed or unknown [$...] placeholder as you type.


v1.5.9
2026-05-23
Latest
Full translations in six languages, and free Team Pack import
New

The entire popup is now translated in German, Spanish, French, Japanese, Korean, and Brazilian Portuguese (previously some panels fell back to English).


Improved

Importing a shared Team Pack is now free on every plan.


Fixed

Placeholder examples (like [$DATE]) and plan prices now display correctly in the editor.
The placeholder chip grid no longer overflows the advanced editor.


v1.5.8
2026-05-21
Redact sensitive text, and calmer macro suggestions
New

New [$REDACT:[$SELECTION]] placeholder masks emails and phone numbers in the selected text while keeping a verifiable hint (for example j****@gmail.com or ***-***-1234), so you can share screenshots or confirm contact details without exposing them.


Improved

The macro suggestion box is calmer: it no longer covers the text you are typing, dismisses when you press Enter to send, fades out on its own, and a new match-strength slider lets you control how often it appears.


Fixed

"Extract Text" (OCR) works again on images hosted anywhere on the web.
The macro editor now flags an unclosed or unknown [$...] placeholder as you type.


v1.5.7
2026-05-21
Shortcuts that work anywhere
New

Smart Actions: give a macro a keyboard shortcut and it works even when you are not clicked into a text box. Press it anywhere to copy the result, ready to paste or send. Add [$OPENURL:...] to open a link in a new tab instead.
New [$SELECTION_OR_CLIPBOARD] placeholder uses your highlighted text, or the clipboard when nothing is highlighted.


Fixed

Quick-search now inserts a macro at your cursor in rich editors like Zendesk, instead of at the top of the field.
Manage billing now opens your billing portal (it previously hit a 404).
"Suggest variants with AI" no longer errors out.
Auto-backup now shows the correct next and last backup dates.


Polish

Time saved on the Stats screen is labeled all-time, so it is no longer mistaken for the monthly figure.
Clearer OCR crosshair and detected-text overlay.
Data & Sync now has an info button explaining what end-to-end encryption means.


v1.5.7
2026-05-21
Latest
Shortcuts that work anywhere
New
Smart Actions: give a macro a keyboard shortcut and it works even when you are not clicked into a text box. Press it anywhere to copy the result, ready to paste or send. Add [$OPENURL:...] to open a link in a new tab instead.
New [$SELECTION_OR_CLIPBOARD] placeholder uses your highlighted text, or the clipboard when nothing is highlighted.
Fixed
Quick-search now inserts a macro at your cursor in rich editors like Zendesk, instead of at the top of the field.
Manage billing now opens your billing portal (it previously hit a 404).
"Suggest variants with AI" no longer errors out.
Auto-backup now shows the correct next and last backup dates.
Polish
Time saved on the Stats screen is labeled all-time, so it is no longer mistaken for the monthly figure.
Clearer OCR crosshair and detected-text overlay.
Data & Sync now has an info button explaining what end-to-end encryption means.

v1.5.6
2026-05-20
Latest
Report a site that needs a hand
New

Report this site: when expansion runs into trouble on a page, the troubleshooting notice now has a one-click button that sends us only the site name and editor type so we can add support for it faster.


Polish

First-run setup now reminds you to refresh tabs you already had open, so Makro starts working on them right away.


v1.5.5
2026-05-19
Faster Smart Rewrite
New

In-page Smart Rewrite hotkey (default Ctrl+Shift+;). Trigger Smart Rewrite on any selected text without reaching for the mouse. The shortcut is fully configurable in Settings > Shortcuts.


Polish

Shortcut binding now blocks OS-reserved and browser-reserved key combos (e.g. Cmd+Tab, Ctrl+W) so you cannot accidentally bind a chord that will never fire.
Shortcut conflict detection now flags silent collisions across every Save action in the popup, not just some.


Privacy

Tier-targeted announcements (Pro / Premium) now route only to subscribers whose plan matches the target tier.


v1.5.4
2026-05-18
Submit a pack to the public library
New

Export Pack now has a Submit to Library option for Pro users. Send any pack (3 or more macros) to makroexpander.com/packs. Reviewed by Makro before publishing so other users can find and install it.


Polish

Account upgrade card now shows the monthly cost when annual billing is selected, so the savings are visible at a glance.
Fixed: "You've saved" header on the account upgrade card was missing the time-saved value across all 7 languages.


v1.5.3
2026-05-17
Share your favorite macros with one link
New

Export Pack now has a Share Link option. Send a single short link to a teammate instead of a JSON file - they open it, click Install, and your pack lands in their Makro in one step.
Sensitive packs can be password-protected: turn on Encrypt with password and only people with the password can open the link. Makro servers never see the password or the pack contents.


v1.5.2
2026-05-17
Browser tabs now show the Makro icon
Polish

When you open Makro in a browser tab or pinned window, the tab now shows the Makro icon instead of a generic browser globe - easier to spot in a row of tabs.


More placeholders on the free plan
Free

[$PROMPT:Label] is now available on the free plan: shows an input dialog at expansion time so the same macro can ask for a name, subject, or any other quick value.
[$CHOICE:option1|option2|option3] is now available on the free plan: shows a dropdown picker at expansion time for predetermined options.
Tab stops [$1] through [$9] and [$0] are now available on the free plan: press Tab to jump between fillable spots in an expanded macro; [$0] sets where the cursor lands.


New:

Smart Variants (Pro + beta): one hotword can expand into different text depending on the site you are on, the time of day, your browser language, or other conditions. Get early access at makroexpander.com/beta.
Suggest with AI (beta): let Smart Rewrite propose variant bodies for an existing macro, sanitized to your tier and conditions.
Redesigned onboarding: a faster first-run experience with three paths - import from another tool, start with a pack, or skip and explore.
Tab mode: open Makro as a pinnable browser tab alongside the floating window. Pick your default in Settings > Preferences. New installs start in tab mode; existing users keep their current setup.
Telemetry transparency: every privacy toggle has an (i) button next to it that shows the exact data payload before you opt in.
Help FAQ in Settings: built-in answers to the most common questions about expansion, sync, encryption, and tiers.
Refreshed popup typography and themes (default / workbench / nord / light) with full WCAG AA contrast across every theme. Save (Ctrl+Enter) and Close (Esc) keyboard shortcuts are now visible on the editor buttons.

Improved:
Importing macros from TextExpander, Espanso, and Alfred now preserves more placeholder syntax automatically. Date and time tokens, fillable fields, dropdowns, and form fields convert to Makro [$Placeholder] format on import. Headerless CSV exports are detected and imported correctly.
Smart Rewrite handles slow responses and stuck sessions more gracefully, with a "Reset AI session" option if a request hangs. LM Studio is detected reliably when set as your AI provider.
Privacy Policy updated (May 11, 2026): clearer disclosure of opt-in telemetry fields and a new "Beta Features" section. Makro Cloud is explicitly opt-in; local AI providers (Ollama, LM Studio) remain the default. Read the full policy at /privacy.
Esc closes the macro editor from any field, not just the body text. Switching between tab mode and floating window keeps each surface's geometry independent.

v1.4.8 - Hide an entire category from Top 10 / Last 5 / Similar
New

Hide a whole category - and everything inside it - from Top 10 / Last 5 / Similar / Stats in one click. Open Manage Categories and tick the 🚫 box next to any category.


Fixed

The per-macro "Hide from Top 10 / Last 5 / Similar" checkbox now stays checked after saving. Previously the setting was silently dropped on every save.


v1.4.6
2026-04-19
v1.4.6 - [$CHOICE] dropdown + translate submenu + Smart Vision fix
New

[$CHOICE:a|b|c] placeholder: shows a dropdown of predetermined options when the macro expands. Pipe-separated so options can include commas. Example: [$CHOICE:Hi, there|Hello|Hey].
Right-click "Translate Selection to..." submenu: pick the target language explicitly instead of always translating to the last-used language. Avoids wasted AI usage on the wrong language.


Fixed

Smart Vision now extracts text from images instead of describing them. The extraction rider is now always applied, including when a preset is selected.


v1.4.5
2026-04-19
v1.4.5 - [$PROMPT] + [$RANDOM] improvements
Fixed

Zendesk and other CKEditor-based sites: [$PROMPT] placeholders no longer insert the expanded text twice, including when the prompt comes from a nested [$MACRO] reference.


New

[$RANDOM] now accepts | (pipe) or ; (semicolon) as separators, letting you include commas inside options. Example: [$RANDOM:Hi, there|Hello|Hey, friend]. Existing comma-separated macros continue to work unchanged.


v1.4.2
2026-04-18
v1.4.2 - Onboarding tip fix
Fixed

The onboarding "Press [shortcut] to search" tip now shows your actual configured shortcut instead of "null".


v1.4.1
2026-04-18
v1.4.1 - Reliability improvements
What's new

Behind-the-scenes reliability and stability improvements. No changes to features or settings.


v1.3.5
2026-04-18
v1.3.5 - Sparkle animation on by default
What's new

A subtle sparkle appears on the text field when a macro expands, making it clearer that the expansion happened. You can toggle this off in Settings > Privacy if you’d prefer.


Smart Copy in beta (apply at makroexpander.com)
Fixed bugs
Free users now get 25 free Smart rewrites per month!

[1.1.2] - 2026-03-24

Added

• Smart Copy context-aware presets - AI cleanup now auto-detects content type (receipt, business card, code, document, whiteboard, screenshot, handwritten) and tailors OCR correction accordingly. Preset chips in the toolbar let you override the auto-detection
• Select All / Deselect All toggle - Quickly toggle all text blocks in the Smart Copy overlay
• Smart Rewrite "Support reply" tone - New rewrite action for crafting professional support responses
• Grammatical person preservation - Smart Rewrite now maintains your original perspective (first/third person) instead of rewriting everything in third person
• Cloud sync auto-push - Macros now automatically sync to the cloud after edits (5-second debounce) when Cloud Sync is enabled. No more manual "Sync Now" needed
• Code preset preserves source - OCR AI cleanup for code snippets no longer strips HTML/XML/JSX tags

Fixed

• Cloud sync push-back loop - Pulling from cloud no longer triggers an immediate push back, which could overwrite the just-pulled data
• Firefox notifications crash - Fixed crash on Firefox when extension notifications API was unavailable
• Zendesk compatibility - Fixed hotword detection stopping, cursor position issues, and double text insertion in Zendesk's CKEditor
• Macro save failures - Fixed edge case where saving a macro could fail if the category path was invalid (now auto-corrects)
• Context menu "Add as Macro" - Fixed empty category when adding a macro from the right-click menu
• Search overlay editing - Clicking "Edit" on a search result now correctly navigates to the macro
• Smart Rewrite "Unknown action" - Fixed error when using the Support reply action
• Version history - Fixed version history not recording changes due to missing crypto allowlist fields
• Stale semantic search results - Embeddings are now cleared when all recomputation attempts fail
• Smart Copy preset detection - Receipts are now correctly identified over business cards when both patterns match
• Locale quality - Fixed missing accents/diacritics in German, French, Spanish, and Portuguese translations

Makro 1.0.1 - more privacy controls and bug fixes.

Privacy
- New installs now default to Local AI Only - AI rewrite works on your device out of the box(Ollama required), no cloud requests unless you opt in
- New privacy step during first-run setup so you choose your analytics preferences upfront
- Analytics split into two levels you control independently in Settings > Privacy Controls:
- Basic: anonymous aggregate counts (how many macros, how often you expand)
- Detailed (off by default): which features you use (theme, AI provider, clipboard history, etc.)
- Updated privacy policy with full transparency on what each level includes

Fixes
- Encryption diagram now readable on dark backgrounds
- Search overlay closes properly after deleting a macro
- Security improvements

Makro 1.0 - the free, private text expander with AI rewrite and encrypted sync.

After an extensive beta, Makro 1.0 brings together everything you need to stop retyping the same text:

Smart Macros
- Conditional placeholders: show different text based on website, time of day, language, or OS
- Macro variants: one hotword, multiple bodies - automatically selected by context rules
- Tab stops: press Tab to jump between editable fields after expansion
- Enhanced prompts: dropdowns, number inputs, and multi-line prompts batched into a single form

AI Smart Rewrite (free for everyone)
- 25 cloud rewrites/month - no account required
- Rewrite selected text directly on the page with the inline overlay
- Choose from formal, casual, grammar fix, shorten, expand, or bullets
- Runs on Makro's own infrastructure (Cloudflare Workers AI) - your text is never sent to third-party AI providers
- Or use Ollama for fully local, offline AI processing

25+ Dynamic Placeholders
- Dates, math expressions, auto-incrementing counters, regex transforms
- Form filling: Tab, Enter, and auto-fill from clipboard
- Cursor positioning, prompted input, nested macros, and more

Encrypted Cloud Sync (Pro/Premium)
- AES-256-GCM encryption - your macros are encrypted on your device before transmission
- Multi-device sync with automatic conflict resolution
- Zero-knowledge architecture - even Makro's servers cannot read your data

Works Everywhere
- Reliable expansion in Zendesk, Gmail, Notion, Google Docs, Freshdesk, and all major web editors
- Firefox and Chrome/Edge/Brave/Arc support
- Search overlay (Ctrl+Shift+Space) to find and insert macros from any page
- Right-click context menu with folder structure, favorites, and recent macros

Security and Privacy
- Independent security audit completed with all findings resolved
- No ads, no third-party analytics, no behavioral tracking
- Local AI Only mode keeps all AI processing on your device
- Auto-clear clipboard wipes sensitive entries after a configurable delay

Quality of Life
- Fuzzy search with relevance ranking across all categories
- Clipboard history with source tracking
- Usage statistics with heatmap
- Bulk select, move, and delete
- Import from TextExpander, Espanso, aText, AutoHotkey, PhraseExpress, Alfred, Typinator, ProKeys, Text Blaze, Auto Text Expander, and Beeftext
- Available in English, Spanish, German, French, Japanese, Korean, and Portuguese

Free to use with unlimited macros. No account required.
Pro ($2.99/mo) and Premium ($5.99/mo) plans available for cloud sync, more AI rewrites, semantic search, and shareable packs.

New Advanced Placeholder available for beta testers

Bug fixes