Difference Between Notepad and Wordpad

Notepad and Wordpad are two text editing programs that are available as default to those who install any windows based operating system. Though both do not compare at all with MS Word which is loaded with features, Notepad and Wordpad are nonetheless good for creating and saving text documents with their own features. Many think both to be same but there are differences in how text can be formatted. Here is a brief introduction of both programs with their comparison.

Wordpad can be considered as a watered down version of MS Word but serves its purpose well when you have to create and save word files in rich text format. Notepad has the least features when it comes to creating word files, the user does not have any options for formatting and cannot even change fonts and their size. There is no provision for paragraphs and no bullets can be added to the text. Wordpad on the other hand gives at least some options when it comes to formatting of text. User can make the letters bold or italic and can also change the font, size and color of the text. It is possible to add bullets to content and justify paragraphs. Word files can be saved in Wordpad either as .txt or .rtf extensions. Rich text formatting saves all the formatting you did while creating the file while saving it in ,txt format removes all formatting done by the user.

For the creation of webpages in HTML, notepad is a good option as there is no need to format the text. It is also used for writing scripts or basic computer programs. If you copy pasted any formatted text, it gets saved as plain text in Notepad.

For making of lists, Wordpad is a better option as you can introduce bullets. Wordpad is also used when you get any unformatted text and wish to introduce some formatting. However, if you have to create a text file with all the features of formatting, you have to go with MS Word.

In brief:

• Wordpad and Notepad are text editors available for free with a Windows based OS.

• Notepad is the most basic with minimum of features while Wordpad is a little better option as it has formatting options.

• Wordpad allows the user to create and save files in rich text format which is not possible in Notepad.

• Notepad can be used for creating web pages while Wordpad can be used to create and save text files with formatting.