Is there a site that is just a text scratchpad?

Question

I'm looking for a site that is basically just a text editor. It doesn't need to save, support multiple files, etc. I just want to type in xyz.com and copy/paste some text. Google Docs is too complicated and slow to load.Does something like this exist?

CrypticShift · Accepted Answer

If you are satisfied with absolutely zero features, just enter this in the address bar (+ save it as a bookmark) data:text/html, Works at least in chromium based + Firefox

felixr · Answer

Using one of the many JS editors in something like codepen.io works well:
eg https://codepen.io/quill/full/KzZqZx or https://codepen.io/JessieWooten/full/wYObEX
Or one of the many online markdown editors (https://markdownlivepreview.com/, https://dillinger.io/)

al_james · Answer

A friend set up https://textareaplease.com/ which I keep coming back to. Useful to have ability to eval JavaScript on the text too.

adamredwoods · Answer

Just to note, you can write this site yourself as a file, load in Chrome, and it will load/save to localStorage: const a=localStorage.getItem('saved-text-data'); document.querySelector('body').innerHTML=a; setInterval(()=>{localStorage.setItem('saved-text-data', document.querySelector('body').innerHTML);}, 2000); It will save images as links, URLs, and you can bookmark it.

ghghgfdfgh · Answer

The simplest one I know of is https://textarea.online, which I use when I want to get some thought down without waiting for some word processing application to open. It's just a simple HTML element with a monospace font.My only issue with it is that it does not allow you to scroll down if the text fills up the screen; my way of fixing this is removing the "overflow" CSS property with my browser developer tools.

Slackwise · Answer

I use HackMD, which supports Markdown and various other plain-text formats, including LaTeX, Mermaid, GraphViz, etc:https://hackmd.io/c/tutorials/%2Fs%2FfeaturesFor your use case, it saves files immediately as you type them. It's also collaborative and can sync to GitHub.As an extra bonus, optional Vim and Emacs keybindings are built right in.

Oxidation · Answer

I realise it's not a solution that you want to use, but I have a global hotkey set for launching or focusing a preferred text editor: Windows + Shift + E.You can even have a special hotkey for opening a specific file.The big advantage for me there is that you get real text editor, not just a browser text box and I can delete lines with "dd" like God intended.

codazoda · Answer

Oooh, I built one of those.This is just a textarea. Edits are saved to local storage. You have 10 &ldquo;files&rdquo;.https://ponder.joeldare.com/app

julienreszka · Answer

data:text/html, Text area preserves newlines when copy and pasting

explosion-s · Answer

https://textarea.online is my go to, it works really well, I also use this userscript to persist changes:https://gist.github.com/Explosion-Scratch/660ab8fe88f605f62a...

codegladiator · Answer

https://etherpad.mit.edu/

skydhash · Answer

I used that [0] when I've needed some kind of markdown markup. But this day I just use a small app called Tot[1] to jot things down quickly.[0]: https://stackedit.io[1]: https://tot.rocks/

shaantam · Answer

https://wordcounter.net/

pwg · Answer

What is the intended purpose that is not supported by a local text editor (i.e., notepad if on windows)?

anotherhue · Answer

I like [0] but [1] also looks interesting0: https://writer.bighugelabs.com/welcome1: https://typewritesomething.com/

tomcam · Answer

Do you mind explaining how you use such a site, and if any of the other suggestions here worked? If it's because you want to paste clipboard contents without formatting maybe you don't know about Ctrl+Shift+V (Windows) or Cmd+Shift+V (Mac) which does that for you.

cornstalks · Answer

More features than you asked for, but I&rsquo;ve enjoyed https://stackedit.io/app#If you&rsquo;re not using Markdown though then I wouldn&rsquo;t use it. But for those needing a quick Markdown tool, it&rsquo;s been great

yieldcrv · Answer

https://pastebin.com

fattybob · Answer

Moniker.com have a handy online notepad kinda thingy, beware as it auto wiped after a year of inactivity, but that&rsquo;s fine for most users. I used it lots in the past, mostly when mobile, less so when home or office based.

ikornaselur · Answer

My goto one is https://zenpen.io - very minimal UI, just let's me focus on writing something down, with basic features such as bold and italics

amadeuspagel · Answer

I made thinktype[1], which is not just a text editor, but you can use it that way&mdash;you can immidiately start typing.[1]: https://thinktype.app/

rsapkf · Answer

I think you are looking for Awfice: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24752546

abrax3141 · Answer

But if you use a gdoc you can access it from anywhere (incl offline) and it&rsquo;s always up to date a version controlled. For me that&rsquo;s enough additional value to be worth a bit of a speed hit.

sinamim · Answer

https://www.calmlywriter.com/online/

danstewart_ · Answer

Check out https://rustpad.io/

sdwolfz · Answer

https://firepad.io/

quickthrower2 · Answer

For that, I usually just use the built in editor of the OS. On iPhone use notes

jose-cl · Answer

Loved editpad.org when was minimal, but sadly now is more sophisticated

eat_veggies · Answer

etherpad https://pad.riseup.net/

skyyler · Answer

pastebin.com is what I use for this. I'm curious if there's something more lightweight out there.

Is there a site that is just a text scratchpad?

I'm looking for a site that is basically just a text editor. It doesn't need to save, support multiple files, etc. I just want to type in xyz.com and copy/paste some text. Google Docs is too complicated and slow to load.
Does something like this exist?

If you are satisfied with absolutely zero features, just enter this in the address bar (+ save it as a bookmark)
`data:text/html,`
Works at least in chromium based + Firefox

Using one of the many JS editors in something like codepen.io works well:
eg https://codepen.io/quill/full/KzZqZx or https://codepen.io/JessieWooten/full/wYObEX
Or one of the many online markdown editors (https://markdownlivepreview.com/, https://dillinger.io/)

A friend set up https://textareaplease.com/ which I keep coming back to. Useful to have ability to eval JavaScript on the text too.

Just to note, you can write this site yourself as a file, load in Chrome, and it will load/save to localStorage:
It will save images as links, URLs, and you can bookmark it.

Is there a site that is just a text scratchpad?

I'm looking for a site that is basically just a text editor. It doesn't need to save, support multiple files, etc. I just want to type in xyz.com and copy/paste some text. Google Docs is too complicated and slow to load.Does something like this exist?

If you are satisfied with absolutely zero features, just enter this in the address bar (+ save it as a bookmark) data:text/html, Works at least in chromium based + Firefox

Using one of the many JS editors in something like codepen.io works well:eg https://codepen.io/quill/full/KzZqZx or https://codepen.io/JessieWooten/full/wYObEXOr one of the many online markdown editors (https://markdownlivepreview.com/, https://dillinger.io/)

A friend set up https://textareaplease.com/ which I keep coming back to. Useful to have ability to eval JavaScript on the text too.

I'm looking for a site that is basically just a text editor. It doesn't need to save, support multiple files, etc. I just want to type in xyz.com and copy/paste some text. Google Docs is too complicated and slow to load.
Does something like this exist?

If you are satisfied with absolutely zero features, just enter this in the address bar (+ save it as a bookmark)
`data:text/html,`
Works at least in chromium based + Firefox

Using one of the many JS editors in something like codepen.io works well:
eg https://codepen.io/quill/full/KzZqZx or https://codepen.io/JessieWooten/full/wYObEX
Or one of the many online markdown editors (https://markdownlivepreview.com/, https://dillinger.io/)