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Notepad, Notepad++, VS Code or BookmarkFiles?
There is no single best way to work with text files. Different tools suit different habits. This is a fair look at the common choices, including where BookmarkFiles fits and where it does not.
The short version
| Tool | Best for | Less good for |
|---|---|---|
| Windows Notepad | Quick edits of one file | Many files, search across files |
| Notepad++ | Power editing and search in folders on Windows | Other operating systems |
| Visual Studio Code | Code and whole projects | A quick glance at a small file |
| Online notepad websites | Notes you want on any device | Private files, since notes live on their servers |
| BookmarkFiles | A handful of files you open again and again | Code editing, big files, regular expressions |
Windows Notepad
Always available and easy. Newer versions add tabs and can restore your session. It does what a quick edit needs, and little else.
Notepad++
A free, popular editor for Windows. It has tabs, syntax highlighting, search in files and many plugins. If you edit text heavily on Windows, it is hard to beat. It is not available for macOS or Linux.
Visual Studio Code
A free editor for Windows, macOS and Linux with a large range of extensions. It is excellent for code and for working with an entire folder. For opening one small file it can feel heavy.
Online notepads
Websites that offer a notepad in the browser are convenient because your notes follow you across devices. The cost is that your text is stored on a company's servers. Read the privacy policy before you put anything private there.
Where BookmarkFiles fits
BookmarkFiles is built for one situation: you keep returning to the same few text files, and you want them in one list, one click apart. It works with the real files on your computer, so nothing is copied to a service. You can label files, group them in folders, edit several, find and replace across them and save the list structure.
It is deliberately small. It does not have syntax highlighting, plugins or regular expressions. It opens text files up to 10 MB, and it works only in desktop Chrome and Edge. Use it next to your editor rather than instead of it.
Which should you pick?
- One-off edit: Notepad.
- Serious editing on Windows: Notepad++.
- Code, projects, or all platforms: Visual Studio Code.
- Notes on every device and nothing private: an online notepad.
- A short list of everyday files you want within a click: BookmarkFiles.
Frequently asked questions
Is BookmarkFiles an alternative to Notepad++?
It overlaps for simple editing, but it is not a replacement. Notepad++ is a full editor. BookmarkFiles is a quick-access list of your files with basic editing, and many people use both.
Is there an online notepad that saves to my own files?
BookmarkFiles does. It runs in the browser and saves into the files on your computer instead of storing text on a server.
Can I use BookmarkFiles offline?
The page is loaded from the website, so you need an internet connection to open it, although your browser may keep a cached copy. Once it is open, working with your files does not need the internet, because the files stay on your computer.
Related guides
- How to open and edit a .txt file in Chrome or Edge
- Find and replace text in multiple files on Windows
- Organize the text files you use every day
Ready to try it? Open BookmarkFiles in Chrome or Edge on a desktop computer.