How to Operate Notepad

Launch Notepad. For Windows 7, access the Start Menu, then input “Notepad” into the search field. Opt for Notepad from the search results to initiate the application. Alternatively, navigate to the 'Accessories' directory in the Start Menu and choose Notepad from the application list.

• For Windows 8.1, input “Notepad' within the Start screen search bar.

Discover the Notepad interface. Once Notepad is launched, you'll encounter a straightforward screen with a limited array of text editing functions. Take note of the menu options for File, Edit, Format, View, and Help.

Access the File Menu. A drop-down menu will appear featuring options like New, Open, Save, Save As, Page Setup, and Print. These constitute the fundamental tools for text editing. Choose “New” to initiate a new document.

• Upon saving a file with Save or Save As, Windows automatically saves it in .txt format, opening it in Notepad.
• To save Notepad documents as HTML, select Save As, then choose All Files from the options list, and save the file with .htm or .html extension. Input your HTML code directly into the document as plain text.
• To properly save a document in HTML, ensure Word Wrap is enabled. Instructions for enabling this feature can be found later.

Format your Page Setup. Go to Page Setup under the File menu. You'll find a few basic formatting choices. Select your preferred paper size, orientation, and header and footer options from this menu.

Incorporate a header and footer. By default, Notepad includes a header containing the document's name and print date, and a default footer with the page number. You can delete these defaults by selecting Header and Footer from the File menu and removing the codes within. All header and footer settings must be manually entered each time you print a document and cannot be saved. To alter headers and footers, access Page Setup from the File menu and input the desired command(s) in the Header and Footer text boxes. Below are some header and footer commands:

• &l Left-align subsequent characters
• &c Center subsequent characters
• &r Right-align subsequent characters
• &d Print the current date
• &t Print the current time
• &f Print the document's name
• &p Print the page number
• Leaving the Header or Footer text box empty results in no header or footer on the printed document.
• Words inserted into the Header and Footer text box will print in their designated positions. Letters after the '&' sign need not be capitalized.
• In Notepad, headers are centered unless the formatting code is the first item in the Header text box. For instance, to align a title to the left side of the page, use &lTitle text.

Get acquainted with the “Edit” tab on the menu bar. Undo sits atop the Edit pull-down on the menu bar. You can also use Ctrl-Z for this function. After employing Undo, Redo replaces it.

• The remaining options, Cut, Copy, Paste, Delete, Find, Find Next, Replace, Go To, Select All, and Time/Date, are standard across most Windows programs dealing with word documents.
• The “Go To” feature is accessible only if Word Wrap is off and your document has numbered lines. Notepad defaults with Word Wrap off.

Activate Word Wrap. Without Word Wrap, all text you input remains on one line until you hit “Return,” causing indefinite scrolling. To rectify this, access the subsequent pull-down on the menu bar. Word Wrap appears first. Simply opt for Word Wrap and your document adjusts accordingly.

Customize your font. Opt for Font under the Format option on the menu bar. Here, you can select from various preloaded fonts, toggle Bold, Italics/Oblique, or Bold/Italics, and adjust font size.

• Font changes apply across the entire document; you cannot mix fonts within.
• The “Script” dropdown in the Font window offers characters not found in standard “Western” fonts.

Access the “View” pull-down from the menu bar. The sole option is “Status Bar,” available only when Word Wrap is off. Disabling Word Wrap prompts a notification on the document window's lower border, indicating cursor position.

Commence typing. It's advisable to enable Word Wrap. Adjust font settings as needed; changes apply universally across the document.

• Note that the “Tab” key moves the cursor ten spaces, unlike Microsoft Word, which moves five.

Save your document. After completion, access the “Save As” option from the File menu on the menu bar. Notepad defaults to the “My Documents” folder on Windows 7 and the “OneDrive” folder on Windows 8.1.

• If you prefer to save your document elsewhere, simply navigate to your desired folder from the “Save As” window and select it. Notepad will remember this choice for future documents.
• Remember, all files will be saved with the .txt extension.

Print your finalized document. Click on the File menu and choose the Print option from the dropdown. This will open a separate window where you can select your printer and preferred options, then click print. To adjust settings affecting the appearance of your printed document, go to the File menu and click Page Setup:

• To modify paper size, click or tap a size in the Size list.
• To change paper source, click or tap a tray name or feeder in the Source list.
• For vertical printing, click Portrait; for horizontal printing, click Landscape.
• To adjust margins, enter a width in any of the Margins boxes.

Utilize the 'Escape' key. The escape key serves as a quick way to exit dialogs. Essentially a 'cancel' button, pressing Escape also hides outputs. Usually located on the right side of the keyboard, it may be marked with a small left-pointing arrow.

Switch to another window. To move to the next window, use either Ctrl-Tab or Ctrl-F6. Press and hold both keys simultaneously to activate the shortcut. Depending on settings, this navigates through documents in Windows' recent window order or uses a Visual Studio window stack system.

• For reverse window scrolling, hold down Shift with either combination.

Switch your output window. Use the F8 key located at the top of your keyboard along with the left-hand side shift key to navigate through dockable output windows and individual output windows.

Explore more shortcuts. Shortcuts streamline your document editing process by saving time on minor adjustments. Notepad offers a plethora of shortcuts, from basic to advanced. Below are some popular shortcuts for Notepad:

• F2 Next Bookmark
• F3 Find Next
• F8 Toggle Output Window
• Ctrl+W Close Window
• Alt+F6 Toggle Project Window
• Alt+F7 Toggle Text Clips Window
• Alt+F8 Toggle Find Results Window
• Ctrl+Alt+C Copy as RTF
• Alt+F9 Toggle CTags Window
• Ctrl+Shift+T Copy Line
• Alt+F10 Toggle Scripts Window
• Alt+Enter Show Document Properties
• Alt+G Jump To (tags)
• Ctrl+F2 Set Bookmark
• Ctrl+F4 Close Window
• Ctrl+F6 Next Window
• Ctrl+Space Autocomplete
• Ctrl+Tab Next Window
• Ctrl+Insert Copy
• Shift+F3 Find Previous
• Ctrl+/ Quick Find
• Ctrl+A Select All
• Ctrl+C Copy
• Ctrl+D Duplicate Line
• Ctrl+F Find Dialog
• Ctrl+N New File
• Ctrl+H Replace Dialog
• Ctrl+F6 Next Window
• Ctrl+L Cut Line
• Ctrl+N New File
• Ctrl+O Open File
• Ctrl+O Open File
• Ctrl+V Paste
• Ctrl+P Print
• Ctrl+R Replace Dialog
• Ctrl+S Save
• Ctrl+Y Redo
• Ctrl+Z Undo
• Ctrl+Shift+S Save All