How to Use Notepad in a Pinch: 5 Tech Tips for the Budget PC

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When many people hear “Notepad,” they dread the name. It strikes fear in the hearts of many, and often they think the end is nigh. But sometimes – in a pinch – it’s all you have. Sometimes your PC is such a potato that you can’t run anything else. But you shouldn’t underestimate it either.

Here are 5 tips for the wary Notepad user that might just turn this simple program into a life-saving application in a pinch:

  1. Have you ever wondered why Notepad keeps going on forever and ever, even if you hit the edge of the window? This is for programmers, if they use notepad. It helps to keep the lines of code even and they don’t have to worry about it getting disorganized. Coding is different than word processing. If you want to enable a feature that allows you to make it start a new line at the end of the window, simply press at the top bar: Format –> Word Wrap. Now would you look at that – it’s neatening up already.
  2. You can print in Notepad. Yes, you heard me right. At the top bar, press: File –> Print, then select the printer or device you want to print on in the Select Printer box by clicking on it once. Afterwards, just hit Print and you’ll be golden. Make sure to select your specific preferences such as the Page Range, Number of Copies, if you want to Print to file, and if you want to Collate your print, in the respective boxes. To adjust advanced settings such as the Layout and the Paper/Quality, press Preferences respectively, and adjust as needed. This whole print menu can be easily brought up by pressing the button combination Ctrl+P on your keyboard while having Notepad open.

  1. To adjust and change the Font and Font Size, go to Format –> Font… at the top bar. Then, there will be boxes that are labeled Font, Font Style, Size, Sample, and Script. All boxes except for the Sample box are able to be interacted with. It might be a little odd in comparison to most word processors, but it is definitely functional. The only downside is that there cannot be two different fonts or sizes in the text document, so I recommend picking something formal and readable if you’re going to be doing something professional.
  2. If you’re going to print anything, you can actually format the document even more with a button that’s a little hidden. Press File –> Page Setup from the top bar again. From there, you can select the Size at which you want it printed, and the Source you want the paper to be used from, both with drop-down menus. You can also choose if you want the Orientation of the paper to be Portrait or Landscape, which basically means if you want it printed like most people would, or if you want the document printed sideways on the paper, in layman’s terms. You can also enter a Header or a Footer, along with selecting the Margins in inches.
  3. As an added bonus, you can enter the date and time anywhere on the document by either pressing F5 on your keyboard when notepad is open and selected, or you can press Edit –> Time/Date at the top once again.

I sincerely hope these tips helped you, and hopefully you have more respect for Notepad now that you know these things. Take care. Roxie out.

We are influencers and brand affiliates.  This post contains affiliate links, most which go to Amazon and are Geo-Affiliate links to nearest Amazon store.