How to use this online notepad
- Click into the box and type or paste. The note saves itself after each pause; the check mark in the status bar confirms it.
- Open the notes list (the Notes button) to start another note or switch between them. The first line of each note is its title.
- Download as .txt with Ctrl+S, or press Share to publish a public note with a memorable link.
Your drafts stay on your device
Drafts are local by default. Every keystroke is written to your browser's localStorage about 300 ms after you pause, under this site's origin, as one small JSON record that holds all your notes. Reopen the page in the same browser and profile and everything is where you left it, including which note was open.
The flip side is worth knowing: notes are tied to that browser profile. They do not sync to your phone, they do not appear in a different browser on the same machine, and a private or incognito window throws them away when it closes. Clearing site data, or a browser reclaiming space when the disk is almost full, also removes them. Anything you would be upset to lose should be downloaded as a .txt file, which takes one shortcut.
Share a note without an account
Press Share, enter your name and a note name, and check the link preview. For example, Anil and Note1 become onlinenote.app/anil/note1. Choose Publish note to store a public copy on Cloudflare. Copy the link or open it from the confirmation panel. Anyone with the link can read it, without an account.
Edits stay in your local draft until you open Share and choose Publish changes. You can also unpublish the note there. Keep the original note in the same browser: its private management key is stored locally, and clearing site data loses that access. Names are not verified identities, and links are first come, first served. If a link is taken, choose another note name.
Publishing requires an internet connection and supports notes up to 50 KB. Public notes are excluded from the sitemap and ask search engines not to index them, but the links can be guessed, forwarded, or copied. Do not publish passwords or private information. Older links that carry a note after #n= still open as before.
Use it offline
On the first visit a small service worker stores the page, stylesheet and script in the browser cache. From then on the notepad opens without a connection, and your local drafts remain available. Publishing and reading public notes still require a connection. On a phone, "Add to Home Screen" (Safari) or "Install app" (Chrome) gives it an icon and a full-screen window. Updates to the site arrive quietly on the next online visit.
Keyboard shortcuts
| Keys | Action |
|---|---|
| Ctrl+S / ⌘+S | Download the current note as .txt |
| Ctrl+N / ⌘+N | New note (if the current one is empty, it stays put) |
| Ctrl+Shift+F | Focus mode: hides everything except the editor |
| Esc | Leave focus mode; close the notes drawer |
| Tab | Insert two spaces at the cursor |
| Esc then Tab | Move keyboard focus out of the editor to the next control |
| Ctrl+Z / Ctrl+Shift+Z | Undo and redo (the browser's own history) |
Browsers reserve some combinations, so Ctrl+N may open a new window in a few of them instead; the toolbar button always works.
Online notepad vs Google Docs vs Notepad on Windows
| Feature | OnlineNote.app | Google Docs | Windows Notepad |
|---|---|---|---|
| Account needed | No | Google account | No |
| Where the text lives | Local drafts; public copies on Cloudflare | Google's servers (Drive) | A file you name on your disk |
| Works offline | Yes, after the first visit | Only with offline mode enabled per browser | Yes |
| Formatting | Plain text (Markdown mode is separate) | Full rich text, comments, images | Plain text; Markdown formatting in newer versions |
| Sharing | A memorable public link | Permissions, real-time co-editing | Send the file |
If several people need to edit one document, use Docs. If you want to manage files directly on disk, Windows Notepad or another text editor is the right tool. Windows Notepad's formatting features depend on the installed version. This page is a place to paste, draft and think that opens in your browser and needs no account.
Online notepad FAQs
Is my note saved?
Yes. Every change is written to your browser's storage about 300 milliseconds after you stop typing. The status bar shows a check mark and how long ago the last save happened. There is no save button to forget.
Where are my notes stored?
Drafts are saved in localStorage in your current browser and profile. They do not automatically sync to another device. Only when you choose Publish note does a public copy go to Cloudflare, where anyone with its link can read it.
I closed the tab. Can I get my note back?
Usually yes: open onlinenote.app again in the same browser and profile, and the note is still in the list. It is gone if you cleared site data, used a private or incognito window, or the browser evicted storage because the disk was nearly full.
Is it private?
Drafts stay on your device until you publish them. Published notes are public and their links can be guessed or forwarded. Optional Google Analytics excludes note text, titles, and shared-note pages. Anyone with access to your browser profile can read your local notes.
Is there a size limit?
Browsers give each site roughly 5 MB of localStorage, which is around two to three million characters across all your notes. If a save fails you will see a warning under the status bar; download the note as .txt to keep it.
Can I use it on my phone?
Yes. The editor fills the screen, the notes list opens as a drawer, and on iOS Safari or Android Chrome you can add it to your home screen so it opens like an app.
Does it work offline?
The editor works offline after the first visit, with drafts saved locally. Publishing, updating, unpublishing, and opening public notes require an internet connection.
Can I format text, add bold or headings?
Not here, on purpose: this notepad is plain text so it stays fast and pastes cleanly anywhere. If you want headings, lists and bold, use the Markdown Notepad, which has a live preview and exports .md.