Getting Started with Notepad: How to Create and Edit a Text File

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Plus, we go over a bunch of helpful keyboard shortcuts for Notepad
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Notepad [1] is a very basic text-editing program that comes as an included application on Windows operating systems. Notepad is great for writing short documents you want to save in plain text. Learning the basics of Notepad is quick and easy!

Quick Steps

  1. Open Notepad.
  2. Start typing your document in the field.
  3. Click File > Page Setup… to edit your document settings.
  4. Click the Edit menu for various tools to edit your document.
  5. Click Format > Word Wrap to enable word wrapping in your document.
  6. Go to File > Save As… to save your document.
  7. Go to File > Print… to print your document, if desired.
Section 1 of 5:

Creating a File on Windows 10

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  1. To do this, type in Notepad in the taskbar search bar, then press Enter . Click on Notepad in the results. [2]
  2. Once Notepad is open, you will see a simple screen with a limited set of text editing options. In Windows 10, the menu options are File , Edit , Format , View , and Help .
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  3. You will see a drop down list with New , New Window , Open… , Save… , Save As… , Page Setup… , and Print… . These are the basic options for word editing.
    • Whenever you save a file with either Save… or Save As… , Windows will automatically save the file in .txt format, which will launch it in Notepad.
      • You can choose to save Notepad documents in HTML by choosing Save As… and selecting "All Files" from the list of choices, then saving the file with .htm or .html as its extension. Type your HTML code directly into your document as if you would plain text.
      • To properly save a document in HTML, you will need to have Word Wrap enabled. You will find instructions on enabling this feature a little later .
  4. Navigate to Page Setup… from the File menu. You will see just a few simple formatting options. Choose your desired paper size, orientation, and header and footer options from this menu. [3]
  5. You can add or remove the header and footer in your Page Setup… options. Leaving the Header or Footer text box empty will result in no header footer on your printed document.
    • All header and footer settings must be entered manually each time you want to print a document. These settings cannot be saved.
    • The following is a short list of header and footer commands: [4]
      • &l : Left-align the characters that follow
      • &c : Center the characters that follow
      • &r : Right-align the characters that follow
      • &d : Print the current date
      • &t : Print the current time
      • &f : Print the name of the document
      • &p : Print the page number
        • You can insert words into the Header and Footer text box and they will print in their appropriate position. Letters after the "&" sign do not need to be capitalized.
  6. You can create a document that is as short or as long as you would like. Even though Notepad is a simple program, you can use it for any general word processing like you would with Microsoft Word.
  7. Once you have finished, navigate to the Save As… option from the File pull down on the menu bar. [5]
    • If you would like to save your document in a different place, simply browse your preferred folder from the Save As… window and select it. Notepad will switch to this choice for future documents.
    • Remember that all your files will be saved with the .txt extension.
  8. Click on the File menu and select the Print… option from the dropdown. This will bring you to a separate window where you can select the printer and options you would like. Once you've got everything selected as desired, click Print .
    • To change the settings that determine how your printed document will look, click the File menu, and then click Page Setup :
      • To change the paper size, tap or click a size in the Size list.
      • To change the paper source, tap or click a tray name or a feeder in the Source list.
      • To print the file vertically, click Portrait; to print the file horizontally, click Landscape.
      • To change the margins, enter a width in any of the Margins boxes.
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Section 2 of 5:

Editing and Formatting on Windows 10

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  1. Undo is the first item you will find under the Edit pull down on the menu bar. You can also use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + Z for this function. Once you use Undo , you will find Redo as an option in its place.
    • The rest of the Edit menu is as follows:
    • Cut: Cuts the selected text from the document.
    • ' Copy: Copies the selected text but does not remove it.
    • Paste: Pastes the selected text where the cursor is.
    • Delete: Deletes the selected text.
    • Find: Opens a dialogue where you can enter what text to search for in a document.
    • Find next: Finds the next iteration of the selected text.
    • Find previous: Finds the previous iteration of the selected text.
    • Replace: Opens a dialogue where you can find and replace text in your document.
    • Go to: Jumps to a specific spot in the document. This is only available if you have Word Wrap disabled.
    • Select all: Selects all the text in your document.
    • Time/Date: Allows you to change the time/date of your document.
  2. Unless Word Wrap is enabled, all text you type will be on the same line until you press the ↵ Enter key, and the line will scroll indefinitely.
    • In order to fix this, open the Format pull down on the menu bar. Word Wrap is the first option you will see. Simply select Word Wrap and your document will be adjusted accordingly.
  3. Select Font… from the Format menu option on the menu bar. Now, you can select from various fonts, font styles, and font sizes.
    • A change in font affects the entire document. You cannot use one type of font on one part of the document and another type on another part.
    • From the dropdown menu item listed as Script in the Font window, you can find characters that are not available in standard Western-style fonts.
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Section 3 of 5:

Creating a File on Windows 11

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  1. To do this, type in Notepad in the taskbar search bar, then press Enter . Click on Notepad in the results. [6]
    • Notepad for Windows 11 has been changed quite a bit. Notepad now supports a dark theme, allows multiple documents to be open in the same window, and offers spellcheck and autocorrect.
  2. Once Notepad is open, you will see a simple screen with a limited set of text editing options. In Windows 11, the only options are File , Edit , and View .
  3. You will see a drop down list with New Tab , New Window , Open , Save , Save As , Page Setup , and Print .
    • Whenever you save a file with either Save or Save As , Windows will automatically save the file in .txt format, which will launch it in Notepad.
      • You can choose to save Notepad documents in HTML by choosing Save As and selecting "All Files" from the list of choices, then saving the file with .htm or .html as its extension. Type your HTML code directly into your document as if you would plain text.
      • To properly save a document in HTML, you will need to have Word Wrap enabled. You will find instructions on enabling this feature a little later .
  4. Navigate to Page Setup from the File menu. You will see just a few simple formatting options. Choose your desired paper size, orientation, and header and footer options from this menu. [7]
  5. You can add or remove the header and footer in your Page Setup… options. Leaving the Header or Footer text box empty will result in no header footer on your printed document.
    • All header and footer settings must be entered manually each time you want to print a document. These settings cannot be saved.
    • The following is a short list of header and footer commands: [8]
      • &l : Left-align the characters that follow
      • &c : Center the characters that follow
      • &r : Right-align the characters that follow
      • &d : Print the current date
      • &t : Print the current time
      • &f : Print the name of the document
      • &p : Print the page number
        • You can insert words into the Header and Footer text box and they will print in their appropriate position. Letters after the "&" sign do not need to be capitalized.
  6. In Windows 11, you can have multiple documents open as tabs, similar to a web browser. So, to create a new document, you will need to select File > New Tab .
  7. Once you have finished, navigate to the Save As option from the File pull down on the menu bar. [9]
    • If you would like to save your document in a different place, browse your preferred folder from the Save As window and select it. Notepad will switch to this choice for future documents.
    • Remember that all your files will be saved with the .txt extension.
  8. Click on the File menu and select the Print option from the dropdown. This will bring you to a separate window where you can select the printer and options you would like. Once you've got everything selected as desired, click Print .
    • To change the settings that determine how your printed document will look, click the File menu, and then click Page Setup:
      • To change the paper size, tap or click a size in the Size list.
      • To change the paper source, tap or click a tray name or a feeder in the Source list.
      • To print the file vertically, click Portrait; to print the file horizontally, click Landscape.
      • To change the margins, enter a width in any of the Margins boxes.
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Section 4 of 5:

Editing and Formatting on Windows 11

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  1. Undo is the first item you will find under the Edit pull down on the menu bar. You can also use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + Z for this function. Once you use Undo , you will find Redo as an option in its place.
    • The rest of the Edit menu is as follows:
    • Cut: Cuts the selected text from the document.
    • ' Copy: Copies the selected text, but does not remove it.
    • Paste: Pastes the selected text where the cursor is.
    • Delete: Deletes the selected text.
    • Explain with Copilot: Microsoft's AI, Copilot, will explain whatever text is selected.
    • Find: Opens a dialogue where you can enter what text to search for in a document.
    • Find next: Finds the next iteration of the selected text.
    • Find previous: Finds the previous iteration of the selected text.
    • Replace: Opens a dialogue where you can find and replace text in your document.
    • Go to: Jumps to a specific spot in the document. This is only available if you have Word Wrap disabled.
    • Select all: Selects all the text in your document.
    • Time/Date: Allows you to change the time/date of your document.
    • Font: Allows you to change the font of your document.
  2. Select Font… from the Edit menu option on the menu bar. Now, you can select from a series of fonts, font styles, and font sizes.
    • A change in font affects the entire document. You cannot use one type of font on one part of the document and another type on another part.
    • From the dropdown menu item listed as Script in the Font window, you can find characters that are not available in standard Western-style fonts.
  3. Unless Word Wrap is enabled, all text you type will be on the same line until you press the ↵ Enter key, and the line will scroll indefinitely.
    • In order to fix this, open the View pull down on the menu bar. Word wrap is the last option in the menu. Simply select Word wrap and your document will be adjusted accordingly.
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Section 5 of 5:

Keyboard Shortcuts

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  1. You can use the escape key as a quick and easy way to get out of any dialogs. The escape key is essentially a "cancel" button. Pressing the escape key will also hide outputs. The escape key is generally located toward the left-hand side of your keyboard and is sometimes indicated by a small arrow pointing to the left. [10]
  2. Using shortcuts reduces the time you spend on minor adjustments while working on your document. Notepad has a ton of shortcuts ranging from simple actions to complex ones. Here are some of the popular shortcuts for Notepad: [11]
    • F2 : Next Bookmark
    • F3 : Find Next
    • F8 : Toggle Output Window
    • Ctrl + W : Close Window
    • Alt + F6 : Toggle Project Window
    • Alt + F7 : Toggle Text Clips Window
    • Alt + F8 : Toggle Find Results Window
    • Ctrl + Alt + C : Copy as RTF
    • Alt + F9 : Toggle CTags Window
    • Ctrl + ⇧ Shift + T : Copy Line
    • Alt + F10 : Toggle Scripts Window
    • Alt + ↵ Enter : Show Document Properties
    • Alt + G : Jump To (tags)
    • Ctrl + F2 : Set Bookmark
    • Ctrl + F4 : Close Window
    • Ctrl + F6 : Next Window
    • Ctrl + Space : Autocomplete
    • Ctrl + Tab ↹ : Next Window
    • Ctrl + Insert : Copy
    • ⇧ Shift + F3 : Find Previous
    • Ctrl + / : Quick Find
    • Ctrl + A : Select All
    • Ctrl + C : Copy
    • Ctrl + D : Duplicate Line
    • Ctrl + F : Find Dialog
    • Ctrl + N : New File
    • Ctrl + H : Replace Dialog
    • Ctrl + F6 : Next Window
    • Ctrl + L : Cut Line
    • Ctrl + N : New File
    • Ctrl + O : Open File
    • Ctrl + V : Paste
    • Ctrl + P : Print
    • Ctrl + R : Replace Dialog
    • Ctrl + S : Save
    • Ctrl + Y : Redo
    • Ctrl + Z : Undo
    • Ctrl + ⇧ Shift + S : Save All
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Community Q&A

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  • Question
    What programming languages does Notepad support? I'd like to test out what I'm learning and what I'd like to learn (Javascript and Python).
    Community Answer
    As far as I know, Notepad supports HTML and Javascript. You can also use text editors like Notepad ++ and Visual Studio Code.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
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  • Question
    How do I text wrap around a picture?
    CaTsArEsOcUtE
    Community Answer
    Right click on the picture and select Wrap Text.
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    Thank you for your feedback.
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  • Question
    How do I wrap text around an inserted picture?
    Adrian
    Top Answerer
    You cannot insert a picture. Notepad is a text editor, not a document editor.
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      • This guide is for the Windows program Notepad. Notepad++, a similar program in terms of name and function, is a third-party program that operates slightly differently. To learn how to use Notepad++, check out our in-depth guide .
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      References

      1. ↑ https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/260563
      2. ↑ https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/help-in-notepad-4d68c388-2ff2-0e7f-b706-35fb2ab88a8c
      3. ↑ https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/changing-header-and-footer-commands-in-notepad-c1b0e27b-497d-c478-c4c1-0da491cac148
      4. ↑ https://edu.gcfglobal.org/en/word/headers-and-footers/1/
      5. ↑ https://condor.depaul.edu/sjost/hci201/documents/notepad.htm
      6. ↑ https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/help-in-notepad-4d68c388-2ff2-0e7f-b706-35fb2ab88a8c
      7. ↑ https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/changing-header-and-footer-commands-in-notepad-c1b0e27b-497d-c478-c4c1-0da491cac148
      8. ↑ https://edu.gcfglobal.org/en/word/headers-and-footers/1/
      9. ↑ https://condor.depaul.edu/sjost/hci201/documents/notepad.htm
      1. ↑ https://lawtech.pepperdine.edu/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Word-Shortcuts.pdf
      2. ↑ https://www.apsu.edu/writingcenter/writing-resources/Microsoft-Word-Shortcuts-2023.pdf

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