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Need to save my files as plain text on Mac, how to make it?

There once was a "Save As" option available in every Apple application. It was never really clear to me why it was altered or how the new system operates. One of my apps likes to work with plain Text Text files (.txt). Formatting issues occur in other forms. Even though they seem to be plain text, programs that I've saved on my Mac from other apps seem to include hidden formatting codes that can cause issues. I want to be able to "save as" plain text after opening these files in something like TextEdit. How am I going to accomplish this?

Best Answered by

Henrique Vieira

Answered on Tuesday, August 27, 2024

TextEdit allows you to make a plain text. 

When we talk about a plain text file in computers, we mean a file that does not include any non-text characters, such as graphics or file formats, and solely has legible characters. Or, to put it another way, plain text is limited to unprocessed, unstyled, and unformatted text data.

macOS built-in text editor - TextEdit enables you to create plain text on Mac, here's how:

  1. Launch TextEdit from Finder > Applications > Utilities. Or right-click your file and choose Open With TextEdit.
  2. The default format is rich text, click Format and choose Make Plain Text. Or, click TextEdit > Settings, select the New Document tab, and tick Plain text under Format to set it as the default format.
  3. To save the .txt file, click File > Save. Name the document and save a location, then click Save.