No, macOS doesn’t include Notepad. The closest built-in app is TextEdit, once you switch it to plain text. For quick notes you don’t want to save as files, Stickies, Quick Note or a menu bar app fit better.
On Windows, Notepad is the app you open to paste a phone number, strip the formatting off some text or keep a line from a call. It opens fast, shows plain text and has almost no settings. On a Mac, those jobs are split between a few apps.
TextEdit, in plain text mode
TextEdit is in the Applications folder on every Mac. Out of the box it writes rich text, with fonts and styles, and saves .rtf files. One setting makes it work like Notepad:
- Open TextEdit and choose TextEdit › Settings.
- On the New Document tab, set Format to Plain text.
New documents now open as plain text and save as .txt files. To switch a single document, choose Format › Make Plain Text (⇧⌘T).
TextEdit opens with a file browser instead of a blank page. Click New Document, or press ⌘N, to start writing.
If all you want is to drop the formatting from copied text, you may not need TextEdit at all. Edit › Paste and Match Style (⌥⇧⌘V) pastes plain text in most Mac apps.
Stickies, Quick Note or a menu bar app
TextEdit is good at files. For a quick note you’ll need for an hour, saving a file is more work than the note is worth. Three options save for you:
- Stickies is in the Applications folder too. Each note is a small colored window, and Window › Float on Top keeps one above other apps.
- Quick Note opens an Apple Notes window over any app when you press FnQ, or the Globe key and Q. Notes land in Apple Notes and sync to your iPhone through iCloud.
- Notestaking is the app I make. It lives in the menu bar, and ⌥⌘N opens a panel on the right edge of the screen, over whatever you’re doing. Notes save as you type, as plain
.mdfiles, and Esc hides the panel again.
From the call
Ticket 88-2041. Ask for Ana if they call back.
Studio wifi
Loft-5G, password garden-lamp-42
Before Friday
- Renew the parking permit
- Send the invoice
There’s a longer comparison of Stickies, Apple Notes and Notestaking if you’re choosing between those three.
Which one to use
| Feature | TextEdit | Stickies | Quick Note | Notestaking |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opens with | Spotlight or the Dock | Spotlight or the Dock | FnQ or a hot corner | ⌥⌘N or the menu bar |
| Saving | You name and save each file | Automatic | Automatic, in Apple Notes | Automatic, as .md files |
| Checklists | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Syncs to iPhone | If you save to iCloud Drive | No | Yes, through iCloud | No |
| Best for | Text files and pasted text | A few notes on screen all day | Notes you want on your phone | Quick notes and tasks during the day |
If you mostly miss Notepad for text files, set TextEdit to plain text once and it stays that way. If you opened Notepad to hold a note for a few minutes, a notepad that opens over your work is the closer match.