How to Create a Text File on Mac: Every Method Explained

Creating a text file on a Mac sounds simple — and it is, once you know where to look. But macOS doesn't make it as obvious as you might expect. There's no right-click "New Text File" option in Finder like Windows offers, which catches a lot of switchers off guard. The good news: there are several reliable ways to do it, each suited to different workflows and comfort levels.

Why Mac Doesn't Have an Obvious "New Text File" Option

This trips people up because macOS Finder deliberately omits a native "create new file here" shortcut. Apple's design philosophy leans toward opening an app first, then saving — rather than creating an empty file in a folder and filling it later. It's a workflow difference, not a missing feature. Once you understand that, the available methods make more sense.

Method 1: Use TextEdit (The Built-In App)

TextEdit is macOS's native text editor, and it's the most straightforward starting point.

1. Open TextEdit from your Applications folder or via Spotlight (⌘ + Space, then type "TextEdit").
2. A new document opens automatically. Before typing anything, go to Format → Make Plain Text (or press ⇧⌘T).
3. This switches the file from Rich Text Format (.rtf) to plain text (.txt) — an important distinction covered below.
4. Type your content (or leave it blank), then go to File → Save (⌘S).
5. Choose your destination folder, name the file, and confirm the .txt extension is showing.

If you skip the "Make Plain Text" step, TextEdit saves as .rtf by default, which embeds formatting data and isn't the same as a clean .txt file. That matters if you're creating config files, code snippets, scripts, or anything that needs to be read as raw text.

💡 You can set TextEdit to always open in plain text mode: go to TextEdit → Settings → New Document and select Plain text under Format.

Method 2: Use Terminal to Create a Text File Instantly

If you're comfortable with the command line, Terminal is faster and more precise — especially when you need a file in a specific directory.

Open Terminal (Applications → Utilities → Terminal or via Spotlight) and use one of these commands:

touch ~/Desktop/myfile.txt 

This creates an empty text file named myfile.txt on your Desktop. The touch command creates a file without opening any app. You can replace ~/Desktop/ with any path.

To create a file with content already in it:

echo "Your text here" > ~/Desktop/myfile.txt 

To open and edit it immediately in a text editor from Terminal:

open -e ~/Desktop/myfile.txt 

This is the preferred approach for developers, system administrators, and anyone managing files programmatically or in bulk.

Method 3: Use a Third-Party Text Editor

Many Mac users install a dedicated text editor for more control. Apps like BBEdit, CotEditor, Sublime Text, and Visual Studio Code all let you create and save plain text files with more features than TextEdit — including syntax highlighting, multi-file tabs, and encoding options.

The process is the same: open the app, create a new document, and save as .txt (or whatever extension fits your use case). These apps often default to plain text, removing the RTF confusion that comes with TextEdit.

Method 4: Add a "New File" Option to Finder via Automator or Third-Party Tools

If you want right-click functionality in Finder — closer to the Windows experience — you can add it. Automator (a built-in macOS app) lets you create a Quick Action that generates a new text file in the current folder. Third-party apps like New File Menu (available on the Mac App Store) add this directly to Finder's context menu with no setup required.

This approach suits users who frequently need to create files in specific project folders without opening a separate app first.

Plain Text vs. Rich Text: Why the Format Matters

Plain text files are universally compatible — every operating system, code editor, and terminal can read them. RTF files carry formatting instructions that can cause problems if you're feeding the file into a script, developer tool, or any system expecting raw text.

Choosing the right format depends entirely on what you're building or storing. A quick personal note? Format barely matters. A configuration file for an application? Plain text is non-negotiable.

Variables That Affect Which Method Works Best for You

• Technical comfort level — Terminal is faster if you're confident with command-line syntax; TextEdit is more forgiving if you're not.
• Frequency of use — If you create text files constantly, setting up a Finder Quick Action or installing a utility app pays off quickly.
• macOS version — Automator behavior and TextEdit settings can differ slightly across macOS versions (Ventura, Sonoma, and later). The core methods remain consistent, but interface details shift.
• Use case — A developer creating config files has different requirements than someone jotting down a quick note or building a Markdown document for GitHub.
• Existing tools — If you already have a code editor installed, it may already be your fastest path to a new text file.

Each of these factors shapes which method fits naturally into your workflow — and the right answer looks different depending on what's already on your machine and how you tend to work. 🖥️