Windows Notepad

If you used Windows in the early days of personal computing, you’ve probably heard of Notepad. The lightweight text editor is a staple of the Windows operating system, and it’s been around since the first version of Windows (which was released in 1985). Was that really over 30 years ago? Yep—and while much has changed with Windows (and technology in general), Notepad remains the same. It’s still just as easy to use and even faster than ever before.

Why would you want to use Notepad? Maybe you’re looking for a quick way to edit your plain text files. Maybe you’re working on a website or blog and need to update your source code files with CSS or HTML changes. Maybe you want to search through all of your documents for a certain keyword. Whatever the reason, using Notepad means having access to an easy-to-use interface that lets you get in and out without losing any time or messing around with complicated settings. While it may not have all the features of some text editors, Notepad allows you to focus on the task at hand—editing the document—without anything getting in the way.

If you’re new to Notepad, here are a few things to keep in mind:

Though it may not seem like it, Notepad is a powerful tool. It’s intentionally barebones: no formatting options, no spelling tools, no autocorrect or grammar check. None of that is necessary when writing a basic note or story outline. But despite its lack of bells and whistles, Notepad has an impressive list of features.