Plain Text Editor For Mac

Apple doesn’t really have an equivalent for Windows Notepad on macOS. TextEdit is the closest option you have, but it’s more of a simplified word processor than a text editor, making it unsuitable for taking quick notes.

Plain Text Editor is a free app that can become what Notepad is on Windows — a simple editor, with no text formatting, that lets you write something effortlessly at a moment’s notice. Bring up a document instantly and just start typing with no distractions.

Say you need to quickly write something down, and you decide to use TextEdit because it’s the simplest writing tool you have on macOS. You need to first create a document and save it, already slowing you down, and if you need to copy and paste what you typed somewhere else, it now comes with its own formatting, unless you remember to remove it or convert the document to plain text.

With this app, a document is generated as soon as you launch it, and you can start typing immediately. Everything is just plain text, and the UI is blissfully distraction-free while also looking amazing with a vibrant background.

You get a live word, character, and line counter, something that TextEdit somehow still doesn’t have, text size customization, the option to hide the title bar, the vibrant background toggle I mentioned before, and the ability to write right-to-left.

The app can also optimize line length and use a monospaced font, both of which help with readability. If you need to keep some notes visible at all times, you can set Plain Text Editor to remain on top of all other apps.

This editor is simple to use, customizable, and quite honestly looks the part as well. It’s an excellent alternative to TextEdit for people who want something a bit more basic, and it’s ideal for writing down some quick notes without any extra hassle.