Plain Text (.TXT)
TXT (Plain Text) is the simplest document format, containing only unformatted text characters with no styling, images, or metadata. It uses standard character encodings like ASCII or UTF-8 and can be opened by any text editor on any platform. Plain text files are the most universal and long-lived document format in computing.
Advantages of Plain Text
What the TXT format does well, and why you might choose it.
- Universal compatibility with every text editor and operating system ever created
- Extremely small file sizes with no overhead
- Human-readable and future-proof with no risk of format obsolescence
Limitations of Plain Text
What the TXTformat doesn't do well, and when to choose another format.
- No support for any text formatting, images, or layout
- No metadata, hyperlinks, or structural elements
- Character encoding differences can cause display issues across platforms
What TXT files are used for
- Configuration files, scripts, and source code
- README files and simple documentation
- Data interchange and log files
Convert to TXT
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Frequently asked questions about TXT
What is a .TXT file?
TXT (Plain Text) is the simplest document format, containing only unformatted text characters with no styling, images, or metadata. It uses standard character encodings like ASCII or UTF-8 and can be opened by any text editor on any platform. Plain text files are the most universal and long-lived document format in computing.
What is the MIME type of TXT?
The official MIME type for TXT files is text/plain. This is the value web servers and applications use to identify the format when transferring files.
What category does TXT belong to?
TXT is a Document Converter format. Files in this category share common conversion paths and use cases.
How do I open a .TXT file?
TXT files are typically opened by software that natively supports the Plain Textformat. If you don't have a compatible application, the most reliable approach is to convert the file to a more universal format using the converters listed above. Most Plain Text files convert to widely-supported alternatives in seconds.
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