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Windows Notepad VS Notepads

Compare Windows Notepad VS Notepads and see what are their differences

Windows Notepad logo Windows Notepad

Most simple text editor. Just plain text, saves in .txt format.

Notepads logo Notepads

Notepads is a modern, simple yet powerful text editor for Windows 10
  • Windows Notepad Landing page
    Landing page //
    2024-08-21
  • Notepads Landing page
    Landing page //
    2020-06-18

Windows Notepad features and specs

  • Simplicity
    Windows Notepad offers a simple, no-frills interface that is easy to use for quick text editing tasks. Its minimalist design helps users focus purely on text without any distractions from additional features or complex menus.
  • Fast Load Time
    Notepad is lightweight and loads almost instantly, making it a great tool for quickly jotting down notes or reviewing text files without any delay.
  • Low Resource Usage
    Notepad consumes minimal system resources, ensuring that it runs smoothly even on older or less powerful machines. This makes it an ideal choice for basic editing needs without heavy resource consumption.
  • Built-in Availability
    Notepad comes pre-installed on all Windows operating systems, providing immediate access to a text editor without the need to download or install additional software.

Possible disadvantages of Windows Notepad

  • Limited Functionality
    Notepad lacks advanced features found in more comprehensive text editors, such as syntax highlighting, auto-completion, and integrated development tools, which can limit its usefulness for programming or more complex text editing tasks.
  • Basic Formatting
    Notepad supports only fundamental text formatting options and does not allow for rich text formatting (such as bold, italics, or different fonts), which can be a limitation when trying to create more visually appealing documents.
  • No Tabbed Editing
    Unlike some other text editors, Notepad does not support tabbed document editing, which means multiple open files will each occupy a separate window, potentially cluttering the workspace and making it harder to manage multiple documents at once.
  • Lack of Autosave
    Notepad does not have an autosave feature, which means users must remember to manually save their work frequently to avoid data loss in case of unexpected shutdowns or crashes.

Notepads features and specs

  • Lightweight
    Notepads is designed to be a lightweight text editor, which means it uses minimal system resources, making it fast and efficient for basic text editing tasks.
  • Modern UI
    The application features a modern and sleek user interface, providing a visually appealing experience compared to traditional text editors.
  • Open Source
    Notepads is an open-source project, allowing users to contribute to its development or customize it according to their needs.
  • Markdown Support
    It includes built-in support for Markdown, making it easier for users to write and preview Markdown files directly within the app.
  • Tabs and Multi-instance
    Supports multiple tabs and instances, allowing users to work on several documents simultaneously without cluttering their workspace.

Possible disadvantages of Notepads

  • Limited Advanced Features
    Compared to more robust text editors, Notepads lacks some advanced features such as IDE-like extensions, which may not meet the needs of all power users.
  • Platform Limitation
    Notepads is available only for Windows devices, limiting its usage for individuals who require a multi-platform solution.
  • Dependency on Windows Store
    Installation and updates are managed through the Windows Store, which may be inconvenient for users who prefer direct downloads or who use versions of Windows without the Store.
  • Early Development Stage
    Being a relatively new project, Notepads might lack some polish and features compared to more established text editors.

Analysis of Windows Notepad

Overall verdict

  • Windows Notepad is a good choice for users who need a basic text editor without any additional features or complexity. Its simplicity makes it accessible and easy to use for anyone, regardless of technical expertise. However, it may not meet the needs of users looking for advanced features like syntax highlighting, plugins, or collaborative tools found in more robust text editors.

Why this product is good

  • Windows Notepad is a lightweight and straightforward text editor developed by Microsoft. It is widely used for its simplicity, low resource usage, and availability on all Windows systems. Its minimalist design makes it perfect for quick edits, taking notes, and creating simple text files without distractions. It supports a variety of encoding options, which can be helpful for viewing and editing different file types.

Recommended for

  • Users who need a quick and easy text editor for simple tasks.
  • Beginners who prefer a no-frills interface.
  • Developers who need a tool for quick code or text checks and edits.
  • Anyone looking for a lightweight application that launches quickly.

Windows Notepad videos

Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 review: Good notepad, bad notebook

More videos:

Notepads videos

Archer and Olive Notepads | Review and Creative Ideas

More videos:

  • Review - HOW I MAKE EVERYTHING IN MY ETSY SHOP: Stickers, Notepads, Prints and Journals || huntermerck
  • Review - 9 Notebooks and Notepads You’ll Actually Use Every Day

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Windows Notepad and Notepads)
Text Editors
95 95%
5% 5
Software Development
88 88%
12% 12
IDE
94 94%
6% 6
IDEs And Text Editors
96 96%
4% 4

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Windows Notepad and Notepads

Windows Notepad Reviews

10 Best Notepad Alternatives With a Better UI and Features
As far as features go, Notepad has exactly none. It was designed back in the days of MS-DOS, and as a result was intended to be used in writing programs that would be easy to compile and execute. Notepad has undergone very few, if any, changes since its inception, and there has been no need for change either. Microsoft has its word processing software, Microsoft Word, for...
Top 8 Sublime Text Alternatives You Can Use in 2019
Notepad++ is a free source code editor which supports several programming languages under the MS Windows environment. It uses the Scintilla editor component and is written in C++ with “Win32 API calls using only STL to increase performance and reduce program size”. While the software has support for macros and plugins, it isn’t as feature-rich as many of the other editors on...
Source: beebom.com

Notepads Reviews

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What are some alternatives?

When comparing Windows Notepad and Notepads, you can also consider the following products

Sublime Text - Sublime Text is a sophisticated text editor for code, html and prose - any kind of text file. You'll love the slick user interface and extraordinary features. Fully customizable with macros, and syntax highlighting for most major languages.

VS Code - Build and debug modern web and cloud applications, by Microsoft

Notepad++ - A free source code editor which supports several programming languages running under the MS Windows environment.

Vim - Highly configurable text editor built to enable efficient text editing

Alternate TextBrowser - Easy to browse through text-files and also allows you to edit them.

Microsoft Visual Studio - Microsoft Visual Studio is an integrated development environment (IDE) from Microsoft.