Sometimes I need to jot down my thoughts but I don’t need a full-blown office suite or a to-do list. I might need to take notes on a book idea, a journal entry, or a stream-of-consciousness (a great exercise for writers). Or maybe a configuration file needs to be edited, and an office suite would wreck the formatting. When those times arrive, I always know what tool to turn to — a text editor.
Some consider the text editor to be mostly used by programmers but that is not the case. A good text editor can be (and should be) used by anyone because it can serve as a digital notepad that is always ready for you and requires very little thought or effort to use.
Also: 5 top Linux text editors that aren’t vi or Emacs (and why they are my favorite)
But which text editors are the best options for MacOS? I have my opinions and I’ll share them with you.
The options I’m looking at aren’t basic note-taking tools but actual text editors. Note-taking tools have their place but when you need something that can handle things like configuration files or opening standard .txt files, you’ll want a text editor. For example, I often edit my Secure Shell config file on MacOS.
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This piece is aimed at non-programmers and people who need something to take notes, edit configuration files, and more. Let’s get started.
1. Sublime Text
Sublime Text might seem like overkill for a basic text editor and it kind of is. Sublime Text is focused on programming, but that doesn’t mean it’s not an option for the non-programmers out there. And just because Sublime Text is meant for one task, doesn’t mean it can’t serve another.
There are features typically associated with programmers that can be used by others, such as Snippets (you can save specific blocks of text for reuse), powerful search tools, comments, split view, project and workspace support, tabs, sidebar, and more.
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As Sublime Text is geared more toward programmers, there is a bit of a learning curve to get the most out of the application. For example, you’ll need to edit a text file to change the app’s color scheme. It’s a good thing you have Sublime Text to edit that file.
Sublime Text might be a bit much for the average note-taker, but this could be the right tool if you need more power.
Screenshot by Jack Wallen/ZDNET
The one caveat to Sublime text is that it’s not free. You can use it on a trial basis but once the trial is up, you’ll have to pay the one-time $99 license fee.
2. BBedit
BBedit is another application geared toward programmers but has plenty of features to be an everyday text editor. Some of the features in BBedit make it a great option for people who consider themselves text editor power users.
You’ll find support for markup, a built-in scratchpad, makers, jump points, a powerful search tool, text filters, case change, smart quotes, space normalization, spell checking, built-in text-to-speech, dictation, autofill, revisions, and more.
One cool feature found in BBedit is the ability to open new files with boilerplate text added by default. BBedit also makes it very easy to add Clippings (think snippets) by highlighting a block of text, right-clicking (or two-finger tapping) the selected text, and then clicking “Save Selection as Clipping”. Once you’ve added a Clipping, you can add it to any text file by clicking the BBedit C icon in the top bar and then selecting the Clipping you want to add.
Another text editor that is geared toward programmers, but BBedit can serve many more purposes.
Screenshot by Jack Wallen/ZDNET
BBedit can be used for free forever but after the 30-day trial, you’ll lose some exclusive features.
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Check out this feature matrix to discover the difference between the free and licensed modes. The individual license for BBedit is $59.99. You can install BBedit from the official website or the Apple App Store.
3. TextEdit
Why venture beyond what comes installed on MacOS by default? TextEdit is a perfectly acceptable text editor.
The Apple TextEdit app reminds me of many Linux text editors, including Gedit and Kate. It’s simple to use, has no frills, and is a very convenient way of editing or creating basic text files.
TextEdit includes formatting options (even Kern and Ligature), export as PDF, insert from iPhone or iPad, and tabs. One cool feature is that if you have the Grammarly desktop app installed, it works with TextEdit, so you can always count on the fact that the text you’re working on will be correct and clean.
TextEdit is as basic as you get and sometimes that’s exactly what you need.
Screenshot by Jack Wallen/ZDNET
TextEdit is free and comes pre-installed on MacOS.
4. Nano
Nano is my jam and I’ve been counting on it daily for decades. For those who don’t know, Nano is a terminal app, so you open the MacOS Terminal app (or whatever terminal app you have installed), type nano, and get to work.
If you want to open a file that already exists, you could issue the command nano filename (where filename is the name of the file). Nano is bare bones but does include a find feature (using the Control+W keyboard combination).
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One of the reasons I continue to use Nano (as opposed to another text editor) is that it’s lightweight, can be used during a remote session (through SSH), and doesn’t complicate things. Just remember, to save a file you use the Control+X keyboard combination.
Here’s Nano in use within the iTerm2 terminal app.
Screenshot by Jack Wallen/ZDNET
Nano is free to use and installed on MacOS by default.
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Any one of the above text editors will serve you well. As for me, it’s nano all the way. I use that editor on both MacOS and Linux.
