TextEdit icon

TextEdit

TextEdit is a simple text editor that comes pre-installed on Mac computers. It has basic formatting features like fonts, colors, alignments, lists, etc. Good for taking notes or writing short documents.

What is TextEdit?

TextEdit is a basic text editing application developed by Apple Inc. and included for free with every Mac computer. As it comes pre-installed, TextEdit is one of the most widely used text editors on the macOS operating system.

Despite being simple and lightweight, TextEdit provides users with a surprising amount of formatting capabilities for a default text editor. It allows users to customize text appearance with options for fonts, sizes, colors, paragraph alignment, bulleted lists, page margins, line spacing, and more. Images and basic tables can also be inserted into TextEdit documents.

The app supports rich text documents (RTF format) as well as plain text files. TextEdit files can be exported to common formats like Microsoft Word, Web pages, and PDF. It also enables advanced typography features like ligatures and Apple Advanced Typography (AAT).

As it is integrated into macOS, TextEdit works seamlessly with other Apple apps via system services. For example, users can easily share content between TextEdit and Messages, Mail, AirDrop and more. The simple user interface is approachable for beginners while still offering useful capabilities for more advanced users.

In summary, TextEdit is a versatile, easy-to-use word processor suitable for basic documents like letters, notes, memos, posters, fliers and more. It is free and convenient for quickly viewing and making light edits to text files on a Mac.

The Best TextEdit Alternatives

Top Apps like TextEdit

Sublime Text, GNU nano, PSPad, TextMate, UltraEdit, SciTE, Aptana Studio, CudaText, jEdit, Turbo Editor, Basic Notepad, Online Notepad, NotepadX, MyTextArea, 920 Text Editor, HTML5 Notepad, QuasiMemo, Zebra Pad, NoteApp, JMTech 121 HTML Editor are some alternatives to TextEdit.

Sublime Text

Sublime Text is a sophisticated text editor for code, markup, and prose. It has a clean, intuitive, and unobtrusive user interface with excellent performance. Sublime Text is highly customizable and extensible with Python plugins. Key features include:Fast, lightweight, and responsive user interfaceCross-platform availability for Linux, Windows, and macOSPowerful search...

GNU nano

GNU nano is a popular open source text editor for Unix-like operating systems. It is designed to be simple and intuitive to use, making it a good choice for beginners or casual users who just need to make quick text edits.Some key features of nano include:Easy to navigate...

PSPad

PSPad is a feature-rich text and source code editor for Windows. Originally released in 2003, PSPad focuses on being a lightweight and fast performer for editing code, markup, plain text, and more.Some key features of PSPad include:Syntax highlighting for over 60 programming languages and file types including C/C++, Java...

TextMate

TextMate is a versatile plain text and source code editor for macOS. Originally released in 2004, TextMate quickly earned popularity among developers and web designers for its combination of advanced text editing features, speed, and an extensive library of bundles and themes.Some key features of TextMate include:Support for a...

UltraEdit

UltraEdit is a feature-rich text and code editor that runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux operating systems. First released in 1994 by IDM Computer Solutions, UltraEdit has become one of the most popular text editors used by developers, programmers, web designers, and power users.Some key features of UltraEdit include:Syntax...

SciTE

SciTE (Scintilla Text Editor) is a lightweight, open source text editor available for Windows. It was originally built to demonstrate the capabilities of the Scintilla text editing component, but has grown into a feature-rich editor in its own right.Some key features of SciTE include:Syntax highlighting for over 100 programming...

Aptana Studio

Aptana Studio is a powerful open-source integrated development environment (IDE) designed specifically for web development. It provides a rich set of features and tools for coding in HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Ruby on Rails, PHP, Python, Perl, and more.Based on the Eclipse platform, Aptana Studio offers a familiar workflow and...

CudaText

CudaText is a powerful, lightweight text editor for Windows, Linux, and macOS. Developed by Alexey Torgashin, it is written in Lazarus and designed to provide many useful features while keeping high performance and low memory usage.Some key features of CudaText include:Fast and lightweight - starts quickly and uses...

JEdit

jEdit is a mature programmer's text editor with hundreds of person-years of development behind it. To download, install, and set up jEdit as quickly and painlessly as possible, go to the jEdit homepage.This open source editor supports syntax highlighting for over 200 file types. Syntax highlighting takes the pain out...

Turbo Editor

Turbo Editor is a free text editor application for Windows designed to provide basic yet essential editing capabilities. Some key features of Turbo Editor include:Fast load times - Opens instantly and handles large files with easeMinimal interface - Clean layout focuses on text editing rather than unnecessary menus and...

Basic Notepad

Basic Notepad is a lightweight text editor that comes pre-installed on Windows operating systems. It provides basic text editing functionality for creating, opening, editing, and saving plain text documents.Some key features of Basic Notepad include:Minimalist interface for quickly opening notes and text filesSupport for common text editing like...

Online Notepad

Online Notepad is a free web-based text editor that allows users to easily create, edit, format and save text documents online without having to download or install any software. It works directly in the browser, making it highly accessible on any device with an internet connection.Key features of Online...

NotepadX

NotepadX is a free and open-source text editor for Windows that aims to provide many of the advanced features found in premium code editors while remaining lightweight and easy to use.It builds on the Scintilla text editing component to provide syntax highlighting, code folding, auto-completion, macros, and other programming-focused...

MyTextArea

MyTextArea is a free online text editor and note taking web application. It provides a minimal yet functional text editor that runs directly in the browser without needing to install any additional software.With MyTextArea, users can quickly jot down notes, write documents, create to-do lists, and organize other text...

920 Text Editor

920 Text Editor is a free text and code editor for Windows that focuses on being lightweight, customizable, and having advanced functionality without unnecessary complexity. Some key features of 920 Text Editor include:Syntax highlighting for over 100 programming languages and markup languagesCustom themes and styles for adjusting colors, fonts, margins, etc.Plugins...

HTML5 Notepad

HTML5 Notepad is a free online text editor that allows you to easily create and edit text documents right in your web browser. It is built using HTML5 technology to work directly within the browser, requiring no downloads or installations.Key features of HTML5 Notepad include:Real-time text editing with...

QuasiMemo

QuasiMemo is a free, open-source note taking and knowledge management application for Windows, Mac, and Linux. It provides a simple yet powerful way to create, organize, and search all your notes, ideas, documents, and more in one place.With QuasiMemo, users can create rich text notes using formatting options like...

Zebra Pad

Zebra Pad is an Android-based enterprise tablet created by Zebra Technologies. It is designed for business use cases that require mobility and data capture capabilities.Some key features of Zebra Pad include:Rugged design - Built to withstand dust, shocks, extreme temperatures, etc. making it suitable for field workBarcode scanning...

NoteApp

NoteApp is a powerful yet easy-to-use note taking application available for Windows, Mac, and Linux operating systems. As an open-source software, NoteApp is completely free to download and use.With NoteApp, users can create rich text notes that support formatting options like bold, italics, highlights, bullets, and more. Images can...

JMTech 121 HTML Editor

JMTech 121 HTML Editor is a user-friendly HTML editor for Windows. It provides a simple yet powerful interface for authoring HTML documents.Key features include:Clean, intuitive interface for writing and editing HTML codeLive preview to see changes as you typeSupport for HTML5 and CSS3Advanced code highlighting and validationConvenient project...