A simple, universal text format with unmatched compatibility across systems and applications
The TXT (plain text) format is one of the oldest and most basic file formats in computing, consisting of a sequence of characters without embedded formatting information. Dating back to the earliest days of computing, plain text files remain a cornerstone of digital information exchange due to their simplicity and universal compatibility.
Plain text files contain only character data, typically using standard encoding schemes like ASCII or UTF-8. They don't include formatting instructions, embedded objects, or metadata structures, making them lightweight and accessible across virtually any computing platform or application.
Despite (or perhaps because of) their simplicity, TXT files continue to be essential in computing for configuration files, documentation, data exchange, programming, and many other applications where simplicity, portability, and human readability are paramount.
TXT files contain only character data without markup or binary content. While extremely simple in structure, several variations exist in terms of character encoding (how characters are represented digitally) and line ending conventions (how line breaks are stored). These variations can sometimes cause display differences when text files are transferred between different operating systems.
TXT files are fundamental in programming and development environments. Source code, configuration files, README documentation, build scripts, and logs are commonly stored as plain text. The format's simplicity allows for easy versioning, diffing, and processing with development tools.
Plain text is often used for data exchange between different systems and applications. CSV (Comma-Separated Values) files, which are essentially specialized TXT files, are widely used for tabular data exchange. Plain text is also common for logs, data dumps, and system outputs that need to be processed by various tools.
Many applications and systems use TXT files for configuration. From simple INI files to more complex formats like YAML or JSON (which are technically plain text with specific structures), plain text offers an accessible way to store and edit settings that both humans and machines can read.
For quick notes, instructions, changelogs, or other simple documentation, TXT files offer a lightweight, universally accessible option. Many software packages include README.txt files for this reason—they can be read on any system without special software.
Text files are the standard format for system logs, error reports, and debugging information. Their simplicity makes them easy to generate, search through, and analyze with text processing tools, while their universal compatibility ensures they can be accessed in any environment, including minimal recovery systems.
TXT files can be opened on virtually any operating system:
Beyond dedicated text editors, many other applications can work with TXT files:
While TXT files are universally compatible, different encoding standards can affect compatibility:
| Feature | TXT | DOCX | HTML | RTF | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Compatibility | |||||
| Formatting Capabilities | |||||
| File Size Efficiency | |||||
| Human Readability | |||||
| Content Preservation | |||||
| Editability |
TXT files excel in compatibility, simplicity, and efficiency, but lack the formatting capabilities of document formats like DOCX and PDF. HTML offers a middle ground with decent formatting and relatively good compatibility, while RTF provides basic formatting with broad software support.
When converting from formatted documents to TXT, all formatting will be lost. Tables may become misaligned, and images will be removed. Use "Save As" or "Export" options in the source application, choosing Plain Text or TXT as the format. Consider setting appropriate line length and ensuring proper handling of special characters and line breaks.
When converting HTML to TXT, you'll lose all formatting and structure. Consider using tools that preserve some semblance of document structure by adding appropriate line breaks and spacing. Online converters or specialized software can help strip HTML tags while maintaining readability.
For data formats like CSV, JSON, or XML, conversion to plain TXT essentially means removing any special structure indicators. This may make the data harder to parse programmatically but more human-readable in some cases.
Converting from TXT to formatted document types allows you to add formatting after conversion. Open the TXT file in a word processor, apply desired formatting (headings, bold, etc.), and then save in the target format. Consider paragraph spacing, heading levels, and other formatting to enhance readability.
When converting to HTML, you can preserve paragraph structure by replacing line breaks with appropriate HTML tags. For best results, manually add HTML structure elements and formatting, or use a converter that respects textual organization like paragraph breaks.
Converting TXT to formats like CSV requires ensuring proper delimiter placement and data structure. For JSON or XML, the process essentially involves adding the appropriate syntax and organizational elements to create a valid structured document.