diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index cde625eb23a..b3b0e344a51 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -8,6 +8,11 @@ This project adheres to [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/spec/v2.0.0.htm
 
 ## [Unreleased]
 
+### Added
+
+- The `GetTextMapPropagator` function to `go.opentelemetry.io/contrib/propagators/autoprop`.
+  This function is used to return a composite `TextMapPropagator` from registered names (instead of having to specify with an environment variable). (#2593)
+
 ### Changed
 
 - Upgraded all `semconv` package use to `v1.12.0`. (#2589)
diff --git a/propagators/autoprop/example_test.go b/propagators/autoprop/example_test.go
index f98ca9c022f..699372215d5 100644
--- a/propagators/autoprop/example_test.go
+++ b/propagators/autoprop/example_test.go
@@ -82,3 +82,31 @@ func ExampleRegisterTextMapPropagator() {
 	fmt.Println(autoprop.NewTextMapPropagator().Fields())
 	// Output: [my-header-val]
 }
+
+func ExampleGetTextMapPropagator() {
+	prop, err := autoprop.TextMapPropagator("b3", "baggage")
+	if err != nil {
+		// Handle error appropriately.
+		panic(err)
+	}
+
+	fields := prop.Fields()
+	sort.Strings(fields)
+	fmt.Println(fields)
+	// Output: [baggage x-b3-flags x-b3-sampled x-b3-spanid x-b3-traceid]
+}
+
+func ExampleGetTextMapPropagator_custom() {
+	// To use your own or a 3rd-party exporter it needs to be registered prior
+	// to calling GetTextMapPropagator.
+	autoprop.RegisterTextMapPropagator("custom-get-prop", myTextMapPropagator{})
+
+	prop, err := autoprop.TextMapPropagator("custom-get-prop")
+	if err != nil {
+		// Handle error appropriately.
+		panic(err)
+	}
+
+	fmt.Println(prop.Fields())
+	// Output: [my-header-val]
+}
diff --git a/propagators/autoprop/propagator.go b/propagators/autoprop/propagator.go
index 1fe17781227..29ac8580a64 100644
--- a/propagators/autoprop/propagator.go
+++ b/propagators/autoprop/propagator.go
@@ -16,7 +16,6 @@ package autoprop // import "go.opentelemetry.io/contrib/propagators/autoprop"
 
 import (
 	"errors"
-	"fmt"
 	"os"
 	"strings"
 
@@ -87,43 +86,5 @@ func parseEnv() (propagation.TextMapPropagator, error) {
 	if !defined {
 		return nil, nil
 	}
-
-	const sep = ","
-
-	var (
-		props   []propagation.TextMapPropagator
-		unknown []string
-	)
-
-	for _, pStr := range strings.Split(propStrs, sep) {
-		if pStr == none {
-			// If "none" is passed in combination with any other propagator,
-			// the result still needs to be a no-op propagator. Therefore,
-			// short-circuit here.
-			return propagation.NewCompositeTextMapPropagator(), nil
-		}
-
-		p, ok := envRegistry.load(pStr)
-		if !ok {
-			unknown = append(unknown, pStr)
-			continue
-		}
-		props = append(props, p)
-	}
-
-	var err error
-	if len(unknown) > 0 {
-		joined := strings.Join(unknown, sep)
-		err = fmt.Errorf("%w: %s", errUnknownPropagator, joined)
-	}
-
-	switch len(props) {
-	case 0:
-		return nil, err
-	case 1:
-		// Do not return a composite of a single propagator.
-		return props[0], err
-	default:
-		return propagation.NewCompositeTextMapPropagator(props...), err
-	}
+	return TextMapPropagator(strings.Split(propStrs, ",")...)
 }
diff --git a/propagators/autoprop/registry.go b/propagators/autoprop/registry.go
index 499a7da4b75..a831773f3d0 100644
--- a/propagators/autoprop/registry.go
+++ b/propagators/autoprop/registry.go
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@ package autoprop // import "go.opentelemetry.io/contrib/propagators/autoprop"
 import (
 	"errors"
 	"fmt"
+	"strings"
 	"sync"
 
 	"go.opentelemetry.io/contrib/propagators/aws/xray"
@@ -30,9 +31,9 @@ import (
 // configured.
 const none = "none"
 
-// envRegistry is the index of all supported environment variable
-// values and their mapping to a TextMapPropagator.
-var envRegistry = &registry{
+// propagators is the registry of TextMapPropagators registered with this
+// package. It includes all the OpenTelemetry defaults at startup.
+var propagators = &registry{
 	names: map[string]propagation.TextMapPropagator{
 		// W3C Trace Context.
 		"tracecontext": propagation.TraceContext{},
@@ -102,7 +103,7 @@ func (r *registry) drop(key string) {
 // will panic if name has already been registered or is a default
 // (tracecontext, baggage, b3, b3multi, jaeger, xray, or ottrace).
 func RegisterTextMapPropagator(name string, p propagation.TextMapPropagator) {
-	if err := envRegistry.store(name, p); err != nil {
+	if err := propagators.store(name, p); err != nil {
 		// envRegistry.store will return errDupReg if name is already
 		// registered. Panic here so the user is made aware of the duplicate
 		// registration, which could be done by malicious code trying to
@@ -115,3 +116,54 @@ func RegisterTextMapPropagator(name string, p propagation.TextMapPropagator) {
 		panic(err)
 	}
 }
+
+// TextMapPropagator returns a TextMapPropagator composed from the
+// passed names of registered TextMapPropagators. Each name must match an
+// already registered TextMapPropagator (see the RegisterTextMapPropagator
+// function for more information) or a default (tracecontext, baggage, b3,
+// b3multi, jaeger, xray, or ottrace).
+//
+// If "none" is included in the arguments, or no names are provided, the
+// returned TextMapPropagator will be a no-operation implementation.
+//
+// An error is returned for any un-registered names. The remaining, known,
+// names will be used to compose a TextMapPropagator that is returned with the
+// error.
+func TextMapPropagator(names ...string) (propagation.TextMapPropagator, error) {
+	var (
+		props   []propagation.TextMapPropagator
+		unknown []string
+	)
+
+	for _, name := range names {
+		if name == none {
+			// If "none" is passed in combination with any other propagator,
+			// the result still needs to be a no-op propagator. Therefore,
+			// short-circuit here.
+			return propagation.NewCompositeTextMapPropagator(), nil
+		}
+
+		p, ok := propagators.load(name)
+		if !ok {
+			unknown = append(unknown, name)
+			continue
+		}
+		props = append(props, p)
+	}
+
+	var err error
+	if len(unknown) > 0 {
+		joined := strings.Join(unknown, ",")
+		err = fmt.Errorf("%w: %s", errUnknownPropagator, joined)
+	}
+
+	switch len(props) {
+	case 0:
+		return nil, err
+	case 1:
+		// Do not return a composite of a single propagator.
+		return props[0], err
+	default:
+		return propagation.NewCompositeTextMapPropagator(props...), err
+	}
+}
diff --git a/propagators/autoprop/registry_test.go b/propagators/autoprop/registry_test.go
index 7f284b6a27a..a08606244c5 100644
--- a/propagators/autoprop/registry_test.go
+++ b/propagators/autoprop/registry_test.go
@@ -68,9 +68,9 @@ func TestRegistryConcurrentSafe(t *testing.T) {
 func TestRegisterTextMapPropagator(t *testing.T) {
 	const propName = "custom"
 	RegisterTextMapPropagator(propName, noop)
-	t.Cleanup(func() { envRegistry.drop(propName) })
+	t.Cleanup(func() { propagators.drop(propName) })
 
-	v, ok := envRegistry.load(propName)
+	v, ok := propagators.load(propName)
 	assert.True(t, ok, "missing propagator in envRegistry")
 	assert.Equal(t, noop, v, "wrong propagator stored")
 }
@@ -78,7 +78,7 @@ func TestRegisterTextMapPropagator(t *testing.T) {
 func TestDuplicateRegisterTextMapPropagatorPanics(t *testing.T) {
 	const propName = "custom"
 	RegisterTextMapPropagator(propName, noop)
-	t.Cleanup(func() { envRegistry.drop(propName) })
+	t.Cleanup(func() { propagators.drop(propName) })
 
 	errString := fmt.Sprintf("%s: %q", errDupReg, propName)
 	assert.PanicsWithError(t, errString, func() {