Online Notepad - Free, Private & No Sign-Up Required

No account. No cloud. This free online notepad saves your notes in your browser only. Private by design, ready the moment you return.

Everything You Need in an Online Notepad

Simple, fast, and free - no sign-up required

Clutter-Free Writing

A clean, minimal online text editor that lets you focus. Focus mode hides everything but your words, and Display sets the font, size and line spacing.

Saves as You Type

Your notes are automatically saved in your browser. Come back anytime and pick up where you left off.

Live Writing Stats

Real-time word, character, sentence, and line counts to track your writing progress.

Search & Replace

Quickly search for text and replace it across your entire note with a single click.

Multiple Notes and Version History

The Advanced editor keeps many notes in a sidebar with search, pins and colour tags, and saves earlier versions of each note so you can go back.

Dark Mode

Switch between light and dark themes for comfortable writing at any time of day.

Open, Export and Back Up

Open .txt and .md files, or .html in the Advanced editor. Export as TXT or PDF, plus Markdown, HTML and Word (.docx) in the Advanced editor. A backup file saves every note, to-do list and setting at once.

Works Offline, Installs as an App

Once loaded, the notepad keeps working with no connection, on a train, a plane, or anywhere your signal drops. Where your browser offers it, install it as an app.

Share by Link

Send a note as a link with the whole note inside it. Nothing is uploaded, and the person you send it to needs no account.

Optional Padlock

Lock the notepad with a passphrase. Your notes are encrypted in the browser and lock again after 15 minutes without activity.

Voice Typing

Dictate into either editor where your browser supports speech recognition. Your words go straight into the note, like typing.

Insert Tools and Command Palette

Insert the date, special characters or emoji from the toolbar, and press Ctrl+K in the editor to find any action or note.

Get Started in Seconds

All data is stored in your browser automatically and is never sent to our servers. If you come back to the site with the same browser, your notes will be here waiting for you.

Start Writing

Open the notepad and begin typing. No account or setup needed.

Auto-Saved

Your notes are saved automatically to your browser as you type.

Come Back Anytime

Return with the same browser and your notes will be waiting for you.

About Online Notepad

Online Notepad is a completely free notepad online that works instantly in your browser. There is nothing to download and no account to create: this online note pad opens in a tab and saves your text automatically as you type. Your notes are stored only in your browser, so your content stays private and never touches our servers.

The Simple editor is a clean online text editor with live word, character, sentence and line counts, find & replace, dark mode, and one-click download as a .txt file. Need more? The Advanced editor lets you take notes online across multiple notes with a sidebar, rich text formatting, and Markdown export, turning your browser into a full notebook online.

Whether you need a quick scratch pad to jot quick notes online, an online clipboard to stash text you want to copy later, or a place to draft an email before a thought escapes, the editor is ready before you've finished thinking about it. If you would rather keep several online notes side by side than one scratch pad, that workspace turns the browser into an online notebook with a titled page for each note. Tracking tasks instead of writing? Open the free online to do list with multiple lists, due dates and browser reminders.

The site is free to use and always will be. Ads keep it running without subscriptions or paywalls. Your notes are never used for advertising, and all data stays in your browser only.

Explore some of our other online text tools.

Why a Blank Page Beats a Document Editor

A document editor asks you to pick a font before you've written a sentence. This page does the opposite: one plain-text note, no formatting bar, no menus, nothing that moves your cursor away from the words. Text saves as you type, so there's no save button to find and nothing to remember.

That suits the writing you do while thinking. Meeting notes. A draft email you don't want sitting in your drafts folder yet. A paragraph you need to strip the formatting out of. An idea at 2am.

Need More Features?

Try the Advanced Editor for rich text formatting, multiple notes with a sidebar, note search, and more. It's ideal when you need to take notes online across several topics or manage longer content. For task tracking, switch to the free to-do list, and check exact word and character limits with our word counter and character counter.

You can also use our text case converter and other online text tools to transform and format your text.

Want the full list? Every shortcut for both editors, plus the browser shortcuts that work alongside them, is on the keyboard shortcuts page.

How Online Notepad Works

What happens to your notes, in plain terms.

Autosave: Your note saves about half a second after you stop typing, and again right away when you switch tabs. The notepad on this page also saves as you close it.
Where notes are stored: Notes are stored in this browser's own storage (IndexedDB), and settings such as the theme in localStorage. Neither is ever sent to a server.
Clearing browser data: Clearing this site's data, or your browser's cookies and site data, deletes your notes for good unless you have a backup file to restore.
Browsers: It works in current versions of Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Safari, on computers, tablets and phones, with nothing to install.
Offline: Once a page has loaded, a service worker keeps a copy in this browser, so the notepad opens and saves with no connection.
Backup and restore: Backup and restore in the Download menu saves every note, to-do list and setting as one file, which restores here or in another browser.
Share by link: Share puts the whole note inside the link, after the #, so nothing is uploaded and no account is needed.
Padlock: The optional padlock encrypts your notes in the browser with a passphrase. If you forget it, nobody can recover them, not even us.
Voice typing: Voice typing appears where the browser supports speech recognition. Some browsers, such as Chrome, send the audio to their maker's speech service.

Online Notepad FAQs

What is an online notepad?

An online notepad is a free, private notepad that autosaves your notes directly in your browser - no sign-up, no installation, and it works offline. Online Notepad runs entirely in the browser and saves your text to your device's local storage, so notes are private to you and ready whenever you return in the same browser.

How do I use an online notepad without signing up?

Just open the notepad and start typing. There is no registration, login, email or password required. Your notes are saved automatically in your browser moments after you stop typing, so you can close the tab and come back later in the same browser without losing anything. To keep a copy outside the browser, export your note as a text (.txt) or PDF file at any time.

Can I use an online notepad offline?

Yes. Once Online Notepad has loaded in your browser, it works fully offline. A service worker caches the app on the first visit, so you can keep writing on a plane, on a train, or anywhere your internet connection drops. Your notes stay on your device and are not synced to any server.

Where did my notes go?

If your notes have disappeared, you may have cleared your browser's storage or cookies. Notes are saved only in this browser, so clearing site data erases them. To protect them, choose Backup and restore in the Download menu of either editor now and then and download a backup file: it holds all your notes, to-do lists and settings, and you can restore it in any browser. If you regularly clear browsing data, also uncheck the option to clear site data. Using private/incognito mode will also prevent notes from being saved.

Is my data private?

Yes. All data is stored locally in your browser and is never sent to our servers. Your notes stay on your device, giving you complete privacy and control over your content.

Can I use this on my phone?

Absolutely. Online Notepad is fully responsive and works on all devices - desktops, tablets, and smartphones. You can even add it to your home screen for quick access.

What is the difference between Simple and Advanced?

The Simple notepad is a clean plain-text editor perfect for quick notes. It includes live word and character counts, find & replace, dark mode, and export to text (.txt) or PDF.

The Advanced editor adds rich text formatting, multiple notes with a sidebar, note titles, full-text search, and export to Markdown (.md), HTML and Word (.docx) as well. It's ideal for organising longer or more structured content.

Can I download or export my notes?

Yes. The Simple editor exports your note as text (.txt) or PDF, and the Advanced editor also exports Markdown (.md), web pages (.html) and Word (.docx). Every file is made in your browser, with no account needed. See how to save notes to your computer.

How do I back up my notes?

Open the Download menu in either editor, choose Backup and restore, then Download backup. One file holds all your notes, to-do lists and settings. Keep it somewhere outside the browser, and restore it here or in any other browser with Restore from file. See how to back up and restore your notes.

How do I open a .txt file online?

Choose Open in the editor toolbar and pick the file, or drag it onto the editor. The Simple editor opens .txt and .md files, and the Advanced editor also opens .html files. The file is read in your browser and never uploaded. See how to open a text file online.

Can I share a note without an account?

Yes. Choose Share in the editor toolbar, then Copy link. The whole note travels inside the link, after the #, so nothing is uploaded and neither of you needs an account. Anyone with the link can read the note, so only send it to people you trust. See how to share a note without an account.

Can I password-protect a note?

Yes. The padlock button in the toolbar locks the whole notepad, the Simple note and every Advanced note, with a passphrase of at least 6 characters. Your notes are encrypted in the browser and lock again after 15 minutes without activity. To-do lists stay unlocked. If you forget the passphrase, nobody can recover the locked notes. Locking also downloads a backup file, which is not encrypted, so keep it somewhere safe.

How do I convert notepad text to Excel?

Online Notepad has no Excel export, but plain text moves into Excel easily. Put each row on its own line, with the values separated by tabs or commas. Then paste the lines into Excel and use Data > Text to Columns, or export the note as Text (.txt) and open the file in Excel with Data > From Text/CSV. See how to save notes to your computer.

Is there a Notepad++ online?

Notepad++ is a free text editor for Windows that you install on your computer, and it has no official online version. In a browser, this notepad covers the everyday parts: find and replace, opening .txt files, autosave and export, with nothing to install. It has no syntax highlighting, tabs or plugins, so for editing code a desktop editor still suits better. See how to open a text file online.

Is there a Google online notepad?

Google does not make a product called online notepad. Its note apps, Google Keep and Google Docs, save your notes to your Google account, so you need to sign in, and in return your notes sync across devices. This notepad needs no account at all: notes stay in your browser, and a backup file moves them to another device.

How do I get help or report a problem?

If you have a question, suggestion, or need help with anything, send us an email at contact@convertcase.net and we will get back to you as soon as we can.

What is the best free online notepad for taking notes?

The best one is the one that fits how you take notes. Look for autosave, a way to get your notes out as files, a clear answer on where notes are stored, and whether you need an account. Online Notepad opens straight to a blank page with no account, saves in your browser and exports to TXT, Markdown, HTML, PDF and Word. The Advanced editor adds multiple notes, formatting and version history. If you need notes synced across devices, an account-based app such as Google Keep or Simplenote will suit you better.

How-To Guides

Short steps for the things people ask about most. Every step uses the buttons in the editor at the top of this page.

How to save notes to your computer

Open the menu. Choose Download in the editor toolbar.
Pick a file type. The Simple editor offers Text (.txt) and PDF (.pdf). The Advanced editor adds Markdown (.md), Web page (.html) and Word (.docx).
Name the file. In Save as, type a file name and choose Save. Your browser saves it like any other download.

How to open a text file online

Choose the file. Select Open in the editor toolbar and pick a file, or drag the file onto the editor.
Use a supported type. The Simple editor opens .txt and .md files. The Advanced editor also opens .html, and several files at once.
Keep or replace. If the Simple editor already holds text, it asks before the file replaces it. The Advanced editor adds each file as a new note.
Edit and save. The file is read on your device and never uploaded. Your changes save automatically, like anything you type.

How to back up and restore your notes

Download a backup. Open Download, choose Backup and restore, then Download backup. One file holds every note, to-do list and setting.
Keep the file safe. Store it somewhere outside the browser, such as a cloud drive, another computer or a USB stick.
Restore it. In the same dialog, choose Restore from file and pick the file. You see what it holds before anything changes.
Merge or replace. Merge keeps everything here and adds what is missing. Replace swaps everything for the backup and asks twice first.
Undo if needed. Changed your mind? After most restores, Undo last restore in the same dialog puts your data back as it was.

How to clear browser data without losing your notes

Back up first. Download a backup file, as in how to back up and restore your notes. Once the browser data is gone, it is the only copy.
Clear your browser data. Clear cookies and site data as usual. This deletes the notes this site saved in this browser.
Restore the backup. Open the notepad again, choose Backup and restore in Download, then Restore from file, and pick your file.
Protect this site from automatic clearing. If your browser clears data automatically when it closes, add this site to its exceptions so that clearing leaves your notes alone. Clearing by hand still deletes them.

Switching from another app?

If you are moving away from a heavier note-taking app, see how Online Notepad compares. Each guide explains what you keep, what changes, and why a private, browser-based notepad with no sign-up may suit you better. Start with the full online notepad alternatives comparison, or jump to a specific app:

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