DescriptionThis is not like the AutoCorrect on your phone. It’s like the one in MS Word, that runs silently in the background. The project started as a customized version of the 2007 AutoCorrect.ahk file that can be found on the internet. I made my own version of the Hotstring Helper quick-entry tool and added logging functionality so I could examine which of my hotstrings were getting backspaced. When the whole thing was converted over to AutoHotkey v2, it became “AutoCorrect2” and “HotstringHelper2”. At this point, the project has evolved into a suite of tools focused around managing and improving one’s AutoCorrect library. There is more detail in the (long) user manual found in the Documentation folder.
UpdatesI’m not a professional programmer, and the AutoCorrect2 suite of tools definitely have a “homemade” look to them. There is no Windows Installer tool, and the app is mostly just portable. Users can optionally delete their existing AutoCorrect2-main folder and just download the new one from GitHub each time. This misses the point of logging and analyzing your autocorrects (and/or manual corrections) though. The value of log analysis tools is to analyze your own typing/mistyping patterns and let the AutoCorrect hotstring library (HotstringLib.ahk) be fine-tuned to you. Because of this, I made the Updater tool. It checks GitHub for updates, then shows you just what files have newer versions. That way, you can keep your existing acSettings.ini file and your own log files, and just get the newly-updated files when you run the Updater in the future.
Setup-For the first-time setup, I recommend download the entire AutoCorrect2-main GitHub repo. It has the supporting files and folder structure that the various tools use.
-Then go to AutoCorrect2-main\Core\AutoCorrect.exe and double-click it.
-To run at start up, go to the Windows SysTray and find the blue on white Greek Psi icon. Right-click that and choose “Start with Windows.” Remember: if you stop using the app later, go back and uncheck that.
-For subsequent updates, use the Updater tool.
System Changes-None. The AutoCorrect2 apps are self-contained and portable. There is an option to put links in your Windows Startup folder for the AutoCorrect2.exe and the MCLogger.exe, but no other parts of windows changed. The Windows Registry is not touched.
-Since no files are added to your system, there is no “Uninstall” either. Just remove the optional “Start with Windows” if needed, then kill the apps, and delete the folder.
Compilation-None. I haven’t compiled any of these.
-As with my other apps, the .exe files are not compiled versions of the .ahk files. They are just copies of AutoHotkey (v2, 64bit) that have been renamed to match the corresponding .ahk files. This allows each .ahk script to run as a portable app. For this to work, the same-named .ahk and .exe files must be kept in the same folder. Double-clicking an exe runs the same-named ahk.
LoggingBy default, AutoCorrect2 will log the autocorrections that happen, and will cache the last 5 words typed. Those are saved in the ErrContextLog.txt file if/when you backspace an autocorrection. Digits are never cached/logged. AutoCorrection and backspace context logging can be disabled in the acSettings.ini file. Tip: Use the SettingsManager.exe tool as a frontend for editing the acSettings.ini file. Look for the ACSystem section, and the EnableLogging key. Set it to 0. There is an optional tool, the Manual Correction Logger (MCLogger.exe) which can run in the background and attempt to detect when you’ve corrected a typo, then format the typo/correction pair as “::typo::correction” and log it. You can then analyze that log for promising new AutoCorrect entries to add. Again, digits are not monitored or logged. Note: If a person deletes the entire AutoCorrect2 folder, then just downloads the whole new folder from GitHub, then logging auto-corrections and manual-corrections is pointless—so turn off the EnableLogging each time and don’t bother running the MCLogger tool. Note: There are a couple of places where the code “reaches out” to sites, such as GitHub, or ChatGPT, but a user’s log data is never sent.
Usage and Tips-Select a misspelled word, or a paragraph your which to reuse, in your text editor and press the Win+H hotkey. Experiment with the buttons and functionality.
-With the HotstringHelper2 dialog open, select any dialog element and press F1 for onboard tips.
-The “Exam” pane is for fine-tuning AutoCorrect entries before saving them. Right-click the Exam button for a list of buttons to related tools and files.
-Check out the user manual, because there are too many things to list on this page.
-See also hh2QuickSheet in Documentation folder.
References-Many of the excellent folks at the AutoHotkey forums have helped over the years—Too many to list here, though they are listed in the code comments and the user manual. Most of the icons are freebies from Icons8.com. Note also the embedded WordNet dictionary and several classes that were written by other people (but are appropriately referenced).
ScreenshotImage of HotstringHelper2, showing Control Pane.
N.A.N.Y. 2026 Submission: AutoCorrect2Other Notes-I should mention that, while the User Manual get's updated periodically, it quickly gets out of date, since I've been adding features and new scripts so frequently. You can read the last several Edits in the AHK forum thread to see the latest updates.
-As indicated in the manual and the forum thread: I left some of my auto- and manual- correction data for folks for experiment with, but you should delete my data, and collect/analyze your own.
