Notepad keyboard shortcuts
The complete list, with the Windows and Mac keys side by side. Every shortcut below works in Classic Notepad.
On a Mac, press ⌘ wherever the table says Ctrl. Everything else is identical.
Files
| Action | Windows | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| New note in this window | Ctrl+N | ⌘+N |
| New note in a new window | Ctrl+Shift+N | ⌘+Shift+N |
| Open a .txt file | Ctrl+O | ⌘+O |
| Save | Ctrl+S | ⌘+S |
| Save As | Ctrl+Shift+S | ⌘+Shift+S |
| Ctrl+P | ⌘+P |
Editing
| Action | Windows | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| Undo | Ctrl+Z | ⌘+Z |
| Redo | Ctrl+Y | ⌘+Shift+Z |
| Cut | Ctrl+X | ⌘+X |
| Copy | Ctrl+C | ⌘+C |
| Paste | Ctrl+V | ⌘+V |
| Select all | Ctrl+A | ⌘+A |
| Insert time and date | F5 | F5 |
Find, replace and navigate
| Action | Windows | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| Find | Ctrl+F | ⌘+F |
| Find next | F3 | F3 |
| Replace | Ctrl+H | ⌘+H |
| Go to line | Ctrl+G | ⌘+G |
| Close a dialog or menu | Esc | Esc |
View and zoom
| Action | Windows | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| Zoom in | Ctrl++ | ⌘++ |
| Zoom out | Ctrl+- | ⌘+- |
| Reset zoom to 100% | Ctrl+0 | ⌘+0 |
Word wrap, the font picker and the status bar toggle live in the Format and View menus rather than on shortcuts — same as the original.
Mouse and desktop
| Action | How |
|---|---|
| Open a note | Click its desktop icon |
| Rename or delete a note | Right-click its icon |
| New note, or arrange icons | Right-click the desktop |
| Snap a window to half the screen | Drag its titlebar to a screen edge |
| Theme, window style, minimal mode | Gear button, top right |
Frequently asked questions
What does F5 do in Notepad?
It stamps the current time and date at the cursor — Notepad's oldest trick, and a genuinely quick way to keep a timestamped log in a plain text file.
How do I go to a specific line?
Ctrl+G, then type the line number. In the original Notepad this was greyed out unless word wrap was off.
What is the shortcut for find and replace?
Ctrl+F to find, F3 to repeat the search, and Ctrl+H to replace.