How to Create Txt Files on Mac [4 Ways]

Unlike Windows, where you can create text files just by using Notepad, creating text files on a Mac is a bit different.

You can create Txt files on Mac using multiple tools and methods. Start with TextEdit and launch the app. Create a new document and click on Format on the menu bar. Simply press on Shift + Command + T to make plain text. Once you are done writing your content on the doc, you can save the file.

Refer to this article to create text files on your Mac. We will also provide you with methods to create text files using various other methods. Furthermore, this method will work for all versions of macOS. 

How to Create Txt Files on Mac

1. Using TextEdit

You need to use the TextEdit application to create Txt files on Mac. We have provided the necessary steps to do that below.

• Log in to your Mac.  
• Launch a Finder window. 
• Head over to the Applications tab and open TextEdit by double-clicking on it, 
• Now you can open a previously created document or create a new one from scratch. 
• Select New Document. 
• Now, you need to change the default format of the TextEdit document. To do that, click on the Format tab on the Menu bar. 
• Click on Make plain text from the list. Alternatively, you can also use the Shift-Command-T shortcut to do the same.

• Now type anything that you want in the document. 
• After you’re done, click on File and select Save from the list. 
• Name the document, and save it to a destination of your choosing. The Command-S shortcut can also be used to do the same. 

Read How to Move a Folder on Mac

2. Using Terminal

The Terminal application can also be used to create txt files. However, refer to the instructions given below to see how it is done.

• Turn on your Mac and open a terminal window. 
• Type in mkdir followed by a name to make a child directory of the parent directory. Example: “mkdir photos,” this command will create a directory named “photos.” 
• Now to create a text file you can use the echo command to write the text and send it over to a file. Example: “echo Hello World > photofile.txt.” The following command will create a txt file named “photofile” and the text within it will be “Hello World”. 
• Moreover, other commands can be used if you’d like a little more control over the content of the text file. 
•  Using commands such as vim, emacs or nano will open up a new text file. Example: “vim photofile.txt.” The following command will create a txt file and open a new window within which you can enter the content and save it. 
• Alternatively, you can also create a blank text file using the touch command. Example: “touch myphotos.txt”. 
• Now you need to enter the location where you want the text file to be saved. Example: “touch ~/Desktop/myphotos.txt”. 

3. Using Automator

The Automator is a powerful tool used to create automation for repetitive tasks. This method will create an option within every finder window to create Txt files within that specific folder location.

Furthermore, the setup is pretty easy and only takes a couple of minutes from start to finish.

• Turn on your Mac and open a Finder window. 
• Head over to the Applications tab from the sidebar. 
• Open Automator. 
• Click on Quick Action when a pop-up box shows up asking you to choose a type for your document. 
• Click on the search bar and type in “AppleScript”. 
• Double-click on the Run AppleScript option. 
• Now type in: “tell application “Finder” to make a new file at (the target of the front window) as alias”. 
• Make sure not to include quotation marks and save the action. 
• You can name the action anything you want. 
• Head over to a Finder window and go to the location where you’d like to create a txt file. 
• Click on Finder from the Menu bar and select Services. 
• Here you will see the name of the quick action that you just saved. 
• Click on it, and a new txt file will be created instantly. 

4. Using Pages

Pages are in the primary text editor on Mac and can also be used to create Txt files. Refer to the following instructions to see how it is done.

• Open a Finder window and head over to the Applications tab from the sidebar.
• Open Pages.  
• Alternatively, you can also use the shortcut on the dock. 
• Create a blank document and type in the content that you want to convert into a txt file. 
• Head over to the Menu bar and click on File. 
• Click on Export and choose to Make plain text.

• Click on Next and name the file anything you want.

• Hit Export to save the file. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

Several applications can be used to create text files on a Mac. However, we still recommend using TextEdit as it is the most straightforward method to do so. The Automator method is not all that complex, but you should use that only when you need to create text files within specific folders. That’s it for this article; we hope these methods help solve your issue.

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