A free online notepad for plain text
LiteNotepad is a free online notepad that runs in your browser. Open the page and start typing: there’s no account to create and nothing to install. Your note is saved on your device as you write, so it’s still there the next time you visit from the same browser.
- Type or paste into the editor.
- A moment after you stop typing, the note is saved in this browser. The status bar at the bottom shows Saved in this browser.
- When you need the text somewhere else, copy it to your clipboard or download it as a .txt file.
People use a digital notepad like this for shopping lists, meeting notes, drafts and code snippets. Because it’s plain text, what you type is exactly what you copy and download.
What this online text editor can do
- Several notes. Choose New note to start another. Your notes are listed beside the editor (on a phone, tap Notes), newest first. Search them, give one a title, or delete one you no longer need.
- Find and replace. Press Ctrl+F to search the open note, match case if you want to, and replace one match or all of them.
- Word and character counts. The status bar counts as you type. Select the counts to open Statistics, which adds sentences, paragraphs, reading and speaking time and a readability score for English text.
- Snapshots. Save a copy of the open note whenever you like (up to 20 per note) and restore one later from More › Snapshots.
- Writing timer. Run a 15, 30, 45 or 60 minute session, or set any length up to 180 minutes. An optional chime sounds when time is up.
- Your own look. Pick a System, Light, Dark or Sepia theme, one of four editor fonts and a text size. Focus mode hides everything except the notepad.
How autosave works
LiteNotepad keeps your notes in your browser’s local storage on this device. It saves about half a second after you pause, and again when you switch notes or tabs, or close the page. Press Ctrl+S (⌘S on a Mac) to save immediately.
Saved on this device only
Your notes don’t sync. If you open LiteNotepad on your phone, you’ll see separate notes. Each browser keeps its own copy too, so Chrome and Safari on the same computer won’t share notes.
If saving fails
Some private browsing modes and strict privacy settings block storage, and storage can fill up. When that happens, the status bar says Not saved, and LiteNotepad warns you before you leave the page. Download a copy to keep your text.
Copy, download and print your notes
- Copy puts the whole note on your clipboard. To copy part of it, select the text and press Ctrl+C.
- Download saves the open note as plain text (.txt), Markdown (.md) or HTML (.html), named after its title or first line. Choose PDF to open the print dialog, then pick Save as PDF. For a different file name, open More › Download as.
- Print (in the More menu) prints only the note text, without the page around it.
- Download backup and Open file or backup move a note, with its snapshots, between browsers or devices. You can also open any .txt file.
An online notes app for your phone and computer
LiteNotepad works in mobile and desktop browsers, so it doubles as an online notes app on whatever device you have to hand. The editor looks the same on Windows, Mac, Linux, Android and iPhone.
After your first visit, the page is stored for offline use. You can open it and keep writing without a connection, and your notes save as usual. Many browsers also let you add it to your home screen or desktop so it opens like an app.
Privacy and the limits of browser storage
Your note stays in your browser. LiteNotepad has no accounts and no server-side storage, and it doesn’t use analytics or advertising trackers. The page’s security policy also stops its scripts from making network requests, so your text isn’t uploaded anywhere.
Browser storage has limits worth knowing:
- It isn’t encrypted. Anyone who can use your browser profile can open this page and read the note, so don’t keep passwords or other secrets here.
- Clearing this site’s data (cookies and site data) deletes your notes.
- Safari may delete it if you haven’t visited LiteNotepad during your last seven days of browsing. Other browsers can clear storage when your device runs low on space.
- Private and incognito windows discard your notes when you close them.
- Deleted notes can’t be recovered. To keep a copy, download the note or use Download backup.
Frequently asked questions
What is an online notepad?
An online notepad is a text editor that opens in your web browser, so there’s no program to install. LiteNotepad adds autosave: the note is kept as you type, without pressing save.
Is LiteNotepad free?
Yes. It’s free to use, with no account or sign-up.
Where is my note saved? Is it stored online?
In your browser’s local storage, on the device you’re using. “Online” describes the page you open, not where the note lives. Nothing is saved on a server, which is also why your notes don’t appear on your other devices.
Will I lose my note if I close the tab?
Not normally. The note stays after you close the tab or restart the browser. It’s lost if you clear this site’s data, write in a private window, or your browser removes stored data on its own.
How do I get back a note I cleared?
Press Ctrl+Z straight away, or open the More menu and choose Restore previous version. LiteNotepad keeps one previous version, for the note you last cleared or replaced.
How is it different from Notepad on Windows?
Notepad on Windows is a program on that one computer. LiteNotepad is a notepad online that opens in any browser, saves automatically, and keeps several notes in a searchable list. Each device and browser keeps its own notes.
Does it work offline?
Yes, after you’ve opened it once with a connection. From then on the page loads without one, and you can keep typing and saving.
How are words and characters counted?
A word is a run of letters or numbers between spaces; each Chinese or Japanese character counts as one word. The character count includes spaces and punctuation but not line breaks, and an emoji counts as one character.
Can I format text or use Markdown?
LiteNotepad is plain text, so there’s no bold, italics or live Markdown preview. What you type is what you copy. To use the note elsewhere, download it as Markdown (.md) or HTML.
Is there a size limit?
Most browsers allow about 5 MB of local storage per site, which is a few million characters. If a note grows too large to save, the status bar shows Not saved and you can download it instead.