TextEdit

TextEdit is a lightweight text editor and basic word processor included with macOS. It provides a simple interface for creating and editing plain text and rich text documents, suitable for quick notes, scripts, or lightweight document work. The program operates in two modes: plain text, which stores only character data, and rich text, which supports basic formatting such as fonts, sizes, bold, italic, underline, text color, lists, and alignment. In rich text mode, users can also insert images and other embedded objects.

TextEdit saves files in several formats. It can save as plain text (.txt), rich text (.rtf), or rich text with embedded objects (.rtfd), and it can export or open HTML files as well. The app includes basic features such as spell checking, find and replace, word wrap, and macOS-style autosave and Versions, allowing you to recover previous edits.

TextEdit has been part of macOS since its early releases and is distributed as part of the operating system. It is designed for macOS and is not a dedicated iOS app; its functionality is focused on lightweight text editing rather than full-featured word processing.

While suitable for simple editing, TextEdit lacks the advanced layout, collaboration, and formatting features found in more comprehensive editors such as Pages or Microsoft Word. It remains a default, no-cost option for quick text tasks and basic document formatting.