What is TXT (Plain Text)?
Complete guide to the TXT file format
Last updated:
What is TXT (Plain Text)?
TXT is the most basic document format, containing only plain text characters with no formatting. A TXT file is just raw text - no fonts, no colors, no images, no styles.
Despite its simplicity, TXT files are among the most universally compatible files in existence. Any device, operating system, and application can read a TXT file.
How Plain Text Works
A TXT file is simply a sequence of character codes with no header, metadata, or markup; the bytes map to characters through a character encoding such as ASCII, ISO 8859-1, or increasingly UTF-8, which can represent the full Unicode repertoire.[3] Because there is no embedded declaration of which encoding was used, applications must guess or be told, which is the most common source of mojibake when accented or non-Latin characters appear garbled.[2] Line breaks are also platform-dependent: Unix and macOS use a single line feed (LF), while Windows uses a carriage return plus line feed (CRLF).[2]
History and Preservation
Plain text predates the personal computer, with ASCII standardized in 1963 and refined in 1967, and the format remains a cornerstone of digital archiving.[3] The Library of Congress treats plain text as a preferred preservation format precisely because it carries no proprietary structure, has no version dependencies, and remains readable without specialized software far into the future.[1]
Limitations
The same simplicity that makes TXT universal also constrains it: it cannot represent fonts, embedded images, tables, or styled text, and there is no standard way to store metadata such as author or title inside the file itself.[1] For anything beyond raw characters, richer formats layer markup or binary structure on top of the plain-text foundation.
Technical Details
TXT vs Other Document Formats
| Feature | TXT | RTF | DOCX | MD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Structure/type | Plain text[1] | Tagged text | Zipped XML | Plain-text markup |
| Formatting | None[3] | Rich | Rich | Lightweight |
| Editable | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| App support | Universal[2] | Broad | Broad | Broad |
| Best for | Raw text data | Portable rich text | Formatted documents | Readable markup |
TXT is universally readable but carries no formatting, unlike RTF, DOCX, or Markdown.
Pros and Cons
Advantages
TXT works on every device, operating system, and application ever made.
TXT files are extremely compact - a novel in TXT might be 1MB.
Plain text will be readable for centuries - no software obsolescence risk.
TXT contains only what you see - no hidden metadata or formatting.
Disadvantages
TXT cannot contain bold, italic, colors, fonts, or any visual formatting.
TXT files cannot embed images or media - text only.
No support for tables, lists, or document structure beyond line breaks.
Windows (CRLF) and Unix/Mac (LF) use different line endings causing display issues.
When to Use TXT (Plain Text)
Here are the most common situations where TXT (Plain Text) is the right choice:
Code and Scripts
Source code files are stored as TXT with language-specific extensions (.py, .js, etc.).
Configuration Files
Server and application configuration files use plain text format.
Log Files
System logs and application logs are stored as plain text files.
Simple Notes
Quick notes, lists, and memos that do not need formatting.
Convert TXT (Plain Text) Files
Need to convert your TXT files? Use our free online converter.
Try Document Converter FreeFrequently Asked Questions about TXT (Plain Text)
What is the difference between TXT and DOCX?
TXT contains only plain text. DOCX stores formatted text with fonts, images, tables, and styles.
What encoding should I use for TXT?
Use UTF-8 encoding for maximum compatibility across all systems and character sets.
How do I convert TXT to PDF?
Use our free online converter, Microsoft Word, or Google Docs to convert TXT to PDF with basic formatting.
Why do my TXT line breaks look wrong on different computers?
Windows uses CRLF line endings while Mac/Linux use LF. Use a text editor that handles both (like VS Code or Notepad++).
Is TXT format secure?
TXT files cannot execute code, making them inherently safe. However, they can contain sensitive information.