LittleIpsum is a lightweight Mac menu bar app that generates lorem ipsum placeholder text on demand. It lives in your menu bar and copies Latin dummy text to your clipboard with a quick click or keyboard shortcut. While it was once a popular tool for designers who needed fast placeholder text, it hasn’t been updated since 2017 and may not work reliably on modern macOS versions.
Key Specs
| Price | Free |
| Platform | Mac only (macOS 10.5+, not updated since 2017) |
| Best for | Quick placeholder text generation from menu bar |
| Learning curve | Instant (single-click operation) |
How Designers Use LittleIpsum
LittleIpsum was designed for designers who needed placeholder text without interrupting their workflow. Here’s how it fits into common design tasks.
For UI Mockups
When building website or app mockups, designers drop in lorem ipsum to show how text will flow without waiting for final copy. LittleIpsum sits in your menu bar, so you can grab a sentence or paragraph mid-design without opening a browser. Click the icon, choose your text amount, and it’s already on your clipboard ready to paste.
For HTML Prototypes
Web designers coding static prototypes need placeholder text wrapped in paragraph tags. LittleIpsum has an option to automatically wrap generated text in <p> tags, saving you the manual work of adding HTML structure. This is faster than copying from a web generator and manually adding tags.
For Client Presentations
When mocking up designs for client review, you want realistic text density without distracting with real content. LittleIpsum generates proper Latin phrases (not just repeated “lorem ipsum dolor sit amet”), which looks more professional than gibberish or repeated placeholder text.
LittleIpsum vs. Alternatives
| Feature | LittleIpsum | Tiny Ipsum | Lipsum.com |
|---|---|---|---|
| Platform | Mac menu bar | Mac menu bar | Web browser |
| Price | Free | $2.99 | Free |
| Last updated | 2017 | Active | Active |
| HTML wrapping | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ❌ No |
| Keyboard shortcuts | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ❌ No |
| Modern macOS support | ⚠️ Unreliable | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
Choose LittleIpsum if: You’re on an older Mac (pre-2020) and want a free menu bar tool that still works for you.
Choose Tiny Ipsum if: You want a modern, actively maintained Mac menu bar app and don’t mind paying $2.99.
Choose Lipsum.com if: You don’t need menu bar access and prefer a reliable web-based tool that works on any platform.
Getting Started with LittleIpsum
If you’re on an older Mac and want to try LittleIpsum, here’s how to use it:
Step 1: Install from Mac App Store
Download LittleIpsum from the Mac App Store (it’s free). After installation, the LittleIpsum icon appears in your menu bar. Note that on macOS Ventura or later, the app may not launch reliably.
Step 2: Choose your text amount
Click the LittleIpsum menu bar icon and select how much text you need: 1-5 words, 1-5 sentences, or 1-4 paragraphs. Enable “Wrap in HTML tags” if you want paragraph tags around the output.
Step 3: Paste into your design
The lorem ipsum text is automatically copied to your clipboard. Just paste it wherever you need placeholder text. You can also set up keyboard shortcuts for even faster access.
LittleIpsum in Your Design Workflow
LittleIpsum was designed to integrate seamlessly into design workflows without requiring app switching.
- Before LittleIpsum: Planning wireframe layouts, deciding on typography hierarchy
- During design: LittleIpsum generates placeholder text while working in Sketch, Figma, or code editors
- After LittleIpsum: Replace placeholder text with real copy, adjust layout based on actual content length
Common tool pairings:
- LittleIpsum + Sketch/Figma for filling mockups with placeholder text without leaving your design tool
- LittleIpsum + VS Code for HTML prototypes that need quick Lorem Ipsum with paragraph tags
- LittleIpsum + Keynote/PowerPoint for presentation mockups that need realistic text density
Common Problems (and How to Fix Them)
These issues come up with LittleIpsum and similar menu bar apps.
“LittleIpsum doesn’t open on my Mac”
LittleIpsum was last updated in 2017 and may not work on macOS Monterey or later. Users report clicking the app icon just returns them to the desktop. If this happens, switch to Tiny Ipsum ($2.99, actively maintained) or use a web-based generator like Lipsum.com.
“I need more than 4 paragraphs of text”
LittleIpsum caps output at 4 paragraphs, which isn’t enough for long-form content mockups. For larger amounts of text, use Lipsum.com, which can generate up to 100 paragraphs, or LoremBuilder for Mac, which offers more control over text length.
“The same text keeps repeating”
LittleIpsum uses actual Latin words in random order, but with limited text amounts you’ll see repetition. This is fine for placeholder purposes. If you need unique text for each section (for client presentations where repeated text looks lazy), use a web generator that creates longer, more varied output.
“I need placeholder text on Windows or Linux”
LittleIpsum is Mac-only. For cross-platform placeholder text, bookmark Lipsum.com or use a text editor snippet library. VS Code, Sublime Text, and other editors support custom snippets that can generate lorem ipsum with a keyboard shortcut on any OS.