Online Text Editor
Write and format text with bold, italic, headings, lists and links. Watch the word and character count, then download your work as a text, web page or Word file.
Worked examples
Word and character count
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog
9 words, 43 characters (35 without spaces)
The count updates as you type.
Download as .txt
A Heading 1 "Shopping list", a bulleted list of Milk, Eggs and Bread, then the paragraph "Buy before Friday."
Shopping list - Milk - Eggs - Bread Buy before Friday.
The text file shows headings as lines and list items with dashes.
About Online Text Editor
This online text editor is a clean page to write on. Format with bold, italic and underline, set three heading levels, make bulleted or numbered lists and add links. A live count under the page shows words, characters and characters without spaces while you type.
When you are ready, name the file and download it as plain text, as a web page in HTML or as a Word document. Headings, lists, bold, italic and links carry over to the HTML and Word files, so the document opens ready to share or finish in your word processor.
How to use Online Text Editor
- Click in the page and start writing, or paste text in.
- Select words and use the buttons to format them or set a heading, list or link.
- Check the word and character count under the page.
- Type a file name and choose Download .docx, .html or .txt.
Common uses
- Drafting an essay or article and checking it against a word limit
- Preparing formatted text for a Word document without opening a word processor
- Writing a quick web page in HTML from formatted text
- Making a plain text version of formatted notes
Frequently asked questions
Is my writing saved?
No. The page does not keep your text once you close or refresh it, so download your work before you leave.
What carries over to the Word file?
Headings, paragraphs, bold, italic, underline, bulleted and numbered lists and links are written into the .docx file. Colours, fonts and images are not part of this editor.
Why does pasted text lose its formatting?
Anything you paste arrives as plain text so that odd styles from other pages do not come with it. Use the buttons to format it again.
How are the words counted?
Anything separated by spaces or line breaks counts as a word. Characters are counted with spaces, and the figure in brackets leaves the spaces out.