Written by
Jenny Zeng
How to Create a New File (TXT) or Document (DOC) on Mac/MacBook?
Summary: How to create a new file on Mac? In this post, we will walk you through four different ways to help you create new file and document on Mac. Besides, if you want to right-click to create new files on Mac, iBoysoft MagicMenu would be the best choice for you.
If you recently came to Mac's world, you may realize that you are only able to create a new folder instead of a file with a right-click on Mac like you used to do on Windows. If you're wondering about the ways to create a new file on Mac, you're in the right place.
This article will introduce 4 different ways to create a new file on Mac, which are applicable to both MacBooks and desktop Macs. No matter whether you want to create a Word document or a Text file on Mac, you'll find the answer here.
The table below is a quick summary of the methods included in this article.
| How to Make a New File on Mac (4 Ways) | Difficulty Level |
| Right-click on Mac to create a new file | Low - Just install iBoysoft MagicMenu, then right-click to create new file in Finder & Mac's desktop. |
| Create a new file in Terminal | High - Require knowledge about commands; may cause issues if incorrectly done |
| Create Text file on Mac in TextEdit | Low - Can only create new .txt files on Mac |
| Make a file on Mac with Automator | High - Complicated process; need to run AppleScript |
Guide on how to create a file on Mac:
- 1. How to right-click to create a new file on Mac in Finder?
- 2. How to create a file on Mac with Terminal?
- 3. How to create a new file on Mac using TextEdit?
- 4. How to create a new file on Mac using Automator?
- 5. Bonus part: how to organize your files and folders
- 6. FAQs about how to create a new file on Mac
How to right-click to create a new file on Mac in Finder?
The most efficient way to create a new file on Mac is to use iBoysoft MagicMenu, a Finder right-click enhancer for macOS.
With it, you can create a new file (txt, doc, docx, xls, xlsx, pdf, ppt, Keynote, Pages, Markdown, Numbers, etc.) on your Mac's desktop or in any opened folder by right-clicking the blank space. It doesn't require opening any applications or taking those cumbersome steps as in using Automator or Terminal.
You can take the following steps to create a new file in Finder on your Mac.
How to right-click to create a new file on Mac with iBoysoft MagicMenu:
1. Download, install, and launch iBoysoft MagicMenu.
2. Right-click on your desktop or in an opened folder, locate "New File", and choose a file format: TXT, Doc, Xls, etc.
If the file type you want isn't listed in iBoysoft MagicMenu, you can just add a template once and then create this file type easily in the future with a right-click.
Share this post to help others learn how to create a new file in Finder!
How to create a file on Mac with Terminal?
Alternatively, you can create new files in Mac Terminal as well. It's more complicated than right-clicking in Finder, as you need to run Terminal commands. If you're not familiar with Terminal, make sure you read the instructions carefully before running the commands to create new file in Mac.
How to create a new file in Mac:
- Open Finder and launch Terminal from the Applications > Utilities folder.
- In the Terminal window, type the following command and then hit Return to change to the directory where you want to create a new file in Terminal.cd ~/directoryFor instance, if you want to make a new file on your desktop, use the command: cd ~/desktop. If you can't figure out the right command to go, simply type cd, leave an empty space, then drag and drop the folder in which you want to create a new document into Terminal and press Enter.
- Then run the command below to create a new file in Mac.touch file_name.extensionHere, file_name stands for your document's name and extension is the type of file you want to create. For instance, if you want to create a text file on Mac Terminal named test, you need to change the command to: touch test.txt
Now that you know how to create Text file on Mac Terminal, don't forget to share this post!
How to create a new file on Mac using TextEdit?
If you need to create a new Text file on Mac, the built-in TextEdit app will serve the purpose. You can use the keyboard shortcut Command + N to create a Text file on Mac without launching the app. This is the one working for my MacBook Air running macOS Ventura. It may be different on different Macs.
To check the shortcut for creating a Text file on your Mac, you need to open TextEdit, select File from the menu bar, then check the shown shortcut for "New."
You can also open the app to create a new file on Mac. Here's how to make a file on Mac using TextEdit:
1. Go to Dock > Launchpad > Others, and click on TextEdit to launch it.
2. Click File > New from the menu bar.
Note: By default, TextEdit will generate a new file in RTF format, which looks a bit like Word documents. If a text file is what you want, just click the Make Plain Text in the Format tab or press Command + Shift+ T at the same time.
3. Press Command + S to rename the text file and choose the location where it will be saved to.
4. Click Save.
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How to create a new file on Mac using Automator?
Mac Automator is a powerful application. People use it to script and automate things, like batch renaming documents and creating a new text file.
Here's how to use Mac Automator to create a new text file:
- Go to Launchpad > Others > Automator and double click Quick Action.
- Use the search box and search for Run AppleScript, double click it, and then add the following text.tell application "Finder" to make new file at (the target of the front window) as alias
- Close the Automator window to save the Quick Action with a name you want, like Create New Text File.
- Open Finder, navigate to a folder or directory you want to generate new documents in, click the Finder tab on the menu bar, and choose Services > Create New Text File.
Bonus part: how to organize your files and folders
Since you now know how to create a file in MacBook Air/Pro and desktop Macs, you may also want to know how to organize your Mac desktop.
There are many ways you can take to organize your documents on the desktop. For example, drag items in the same formats into one folder, so that you can access all of them there instead of on your desktop. Besides, you can use Stacks on Mac to help you with file organizing.
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Conclusion
In this article, we have discussed how to make a new file on Mac and provided you with 4 practical ways of it, including ways to create new files in Terminal, Finder, TextEdit and Automator. You can choose any of the methods mentioned above.
If you want to simply use Mac right-click to create new files and organize them, please don't hesitate to use the Right Click Enhancer - iBoysoft MagicMenu.
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FAQs about how to create a new file on Mac
A
To generate a new folder on Mac desktop or in the Finder, you can simply press Command + Shift + N at the same time. Or, you can also right-click and choose New Folder to create it.
A
With the help of iBoysoft MagicMenu, we can create a new text file on Mac desktop effortlessly. Here's how:
1. Download, install and launch iBoysoft MagicMenu.
2. Right-click on your Mac desktop, locate on New File, and choose TXT document file type.
A
With the help of iBoysoft MagicMenu, we can create a new txt file in a folder on Mac. Here's how:
1. Download, install and launch iBoysoft MagicMenu.
3. Right-click on your desktop or in an opened folder, locate on New File, and choose TXT
A
Install iBoysoft MagicMenu and then right-click on your Mac desktop or folder to create a new blank file on a MacBook with various extensions, such as txt, doc.
Connie Yang