TXT: Plain Text File

What is TXT?

TXT (Plain Text) is the most basic and universal file format for storing text. It contains only printable characters with minimal formatting - just line breaks and basic spacing. No fonts, colors, or styling information is included.

Text files are extremely lightweight, portable, and can be opened by virtually any device or program. They're the lowest common denominator for text-based data exchange.

Features

• Pure text content only
• No formatting or styling
• Extremely small file size
• Universal compatibility
• Human-readable format
• Fast to open and process
• Can be edited with any text editor
• Perfect for configuration files

Use Cases

Perfect For

• Notes and simple documentation
• Configuration files (.ini, .cfg)
• Log files and system outputs
• Source code (before specific extensions)
• Data exchange between systems
• README and documentation files
• Quick temporary notes

Not Ideal For

• Formatted documents: Use DOC, PDF, or ODT instead
• Rich content: Images, tables need other formats
• Styled text: Bold, colors require HTML or RTF

Advantages

• Works on absolutely any device
• Smallest possible file size
• Never becomes obsolete
• Easy to search and process
• No special software needed
• Perfect for version control (Git)
• Fast to load and edit

Disadvantages

• No formatting options
• Can't include images or media
• Limited structure (no tables)
• Encoding issues (UTF-8 vs ASCII)
• No built-in spell checking
• Unprofessional for formal documents

Technical Information

Text files use character encoding systems like ASCII, UTF-8, or UTF-16 to represent text. UTF-8 has become the standard as it supports international characters while remaining backward compatible with ASCII.