Notepad vs Wordpad: Difference and Comparison

Content editing devices like Notepad and Wordpad are preinstalled on each window working framework. Even though neither Notepad nor Wordpad can even come close to MS Word in terms of feature sets, they are nevertheless helpful for writing and storing text documents. Many people mistakenly believe that the two types of text are interchangeable, although they are not.

Key Takeaways

1. Notepad is a simple text editor with basic formatting, while WordPad offers more advanced formatting features.
2. Notepad works with plain text files, while WordPad can handle rich text format (RTF) files and other document formats.
3. Notepad is faster and uses fewer system resources, while WordPad provides better text formatting options.

Notepad vs Wordpad

Notepad is a basic text editor available on Windows that allows the computer user to make documents, and there is no way to format the content. It was introduced by Microsoft with Windows 3.1. Wordpad is a basic word processor that is included in all versions of Microsoft Windows and was first released in 1983.

When it comes to files that don’t need text formatting, such as configuration files used by PHP or Apache, or HTML pages, Notepad is the tool of choice. It also works well for developing scripts and simple computer programs that don’t require text formatting. To keep things simple, Notepad only stores files in two formats: plaintext and hypertext markup language (HTML). There are no special programs required to open text files.

Unlike Notepad, WordPad lets you format your text in numerous ways. It’s seen as a more streamlined, less powerful version of Microsoft Word. Users can also construct lists with bullets and centre paragraphs and justify them. Wordpad enables the incorporation of graphics as well. There’s no spell-checking, thesaurus, or support for tables in the middle of the program. Wordpad is best suited for composing letters and short essays, but it lacks the processing capability to handle complex graphics or typesetting projects.

Comparison Table

Parameters Of Comparison	Notepad	Wordpad
Definition	Notepad is a basic text editor for Windows that allows computer users to produce documents using a simple text editor.	To prepare and print content, we use WordPad as our primary word processor.
Launched In	Microsoft introduced it in 1983 with the release of Windows 3.1.	Microsoft introduced it at the same time as Windows 95.
Formatting	There is no way to format the content in any way. The primary focus is on producing text files with the fewest number of formatting options possible.	To format text, you may use different font styles and sizes as well as different types of bolding and italics.
Usage	It’s a superior option for building websites.	It’s limited to saving.txt files exclusively. files may be saved as plain text (.doc) or rich text (.rtf) documents (.rtf)
Image Insertion	There’s no way to add images or graphics with Notepad.	Wordpad allows the addition of images.

What is Notepad?

You may use Notepad, a plain text editor in the Windows Operating System, to make notes or documents. It’s pre-installed with a small set of capabilities. In Notepad, font size, style, and page configuration choices are limited, as is the ability to search and replace. Notepad is the most excellent tool for creating and writing HTML documents, webpages, scripts, and computer applications. To unformat your content, you may use Notepad instead of MS Word to do it. This is a unique and secret function.
To keep things straightforward, Notepad stores documents in two organizations: plaintext and hypertext markup language (HTML). There are no unique projects needed to open text records. In this way, they might be gotten from any word manager or even from the order line.

It’s part of the standard Windows installation and is mainly used for text-based tasks. It’s the most basic editor, allowing users to type in anything they want with a few preset settings. The font must be selected in a notepad before any work can be done. Bold, italic, and underline may be applied to individual words or the whole document. When using this editor, you can only save files in text format, which keeps their size low while still being usable by other programs like Microsoft Word. Also, paragraphs can be produced but can’t be aligned independently.

What is Wordpad?

WordPad is an essential Windows operating system editing and processing application that offers more features and functionality than Notepad but is simpler and easier to use than MS Word. It was put into effect once Microsoft Writer was discontinued. It’s an essential tool for a straightforward job. It offers various printing choices and capabilities, including typefaces, bold, italic, and text colouring. Its simplicity is great for creating short tales, letters, and quick notes. You may also add information like dates, images, hyperlinks, and page margins and then examine and print the document as you see fit. Wordpad empowers the joining of designs too. There’s no spell-checking, thesaurus, or backing for tables in the program. Wordpad is most appropriate for forming letters and short expositions, however, it does not have the handling ability to deal with complex designs or typesetting projects.

It’s included with Windows but is a more powerful editor than Notepad. While text entry remains the core purpose, this software also allows for adding photos and the ability to modify them. Changing typefaces, creating lines and paragraphs, correctly aligning them, and offering headers are just a few of the possibilities available. There are several choices for saving the file, but the user interface is clunky and disorganized. Although the file size is greater, the essential characteristics remain the same, making it a better option for official documentation.

Main Differences Between Notepad and Wordpad

1. You may adjust the font size and modify the style in Notepad, but you cannot use bold, italic, underlining, or colour or change the indent, line spacing, or paragraph setting offered in WordPad.
2. Notepad’s default file format is.txt, whereas WordPad’s default file format is.rtf.
   
3. While Notepad files may be opened in WordPad, WordPad files cannot be opened in Notepad unless they are saved in the .txt file format.
   
4. Notepad is recommended for composing and generating basic documents, but WordPad is recommended for designing documents, papers, and lists.
   
5. While Notepad allows for the creation of new paragraphs, it lacks formatting options, while WordPad offers several formatting options and alignments in addition to text typefaces.

References

1. https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/948429/
2. https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-642-34347-6_17

Last Updated : 11 June, 2023