TextEdit

TextEdit (Figure 1) is a text editing application that comes with Mac OS. As its name implies, TextEdit lets you create, open, edit, and print text documents (Figure 2), including the "Read Me" files that come with many applications.

Figure 1. The TextEdit application icon.

Figure 2. A TextEdit document's icon.

This chapter explains how to use TextEdit to create, edit, format, open, and save documents.

Tips

• TextEdit can open and save Microsoft Word format files. This makes it possible to work with and create Microsoft Word documents, even if you don't have Microsoft Word.

• Although TextEdit offers many of the features found in a word processing application, it falls far short of the feature list of word processors such as Microsoft Word and the word processing components of iWork's Pages or integrated software such as AppleWorks.

• If you're new to computers, don't skip this chapter. It not only explains how to use TextEdit but provides instructions for basic text editing skillssuch as text entry and the Copy, Cut, and Paste commands that you'll use in all Mac OS-compatible applications.