Quick Pad

For most Windows users, Notepad remains the go-to text editor whenever they need to write down something fast, or to make a draft before creating a larger document. Even the advent of sticky notes did not move people away from the simple and reliable standard word processor.

But what if you really wanted to get creative with your Notepad, write drafts with a bit of style and color, or quickly turn short texts into a note? Well, Quick Pad may be a very pretty alternative.

Quick Pad can be found in the Microsoft App Store, being labeled as a UWP (Universe Windows Platform) Notepad, which means you could also use it with you Xbox, or your Windows Phone (if you’re still into that). As soon as you open it, you get a fine-looking translucent text box, that, even though behaves very much like your trusty Notepad, has a lot more options.

You’ll notice the top menu right away. From there you can do basic word styling, like bold, italics, underline and strikethrough. You can even align the text any way you want, even though that would mean using Quick Pad to write whole paragraphs, and not notes (which is very unlikely). We did like the option to add bullet points, though, and the very useful autosave feature, which isn't available in Notepad.

If you click the “On Top” button (also found in the top menu), the text window instantly transfers to the top-right corner of the desktop, effectively becoming a sticky note. This is probably our favorite feature of the program, as you can use it to write something quick (as you would instinctively use a Notepad), and then pin it as a note, so that you don’t forget it while you get on with the rest of your work.

You can adjust the theme in Quick Pad to match your general Windows 10 theme, so that it’s either Light or Dark (both look good). But Quick Pad isn’t only stylish, it’s also fun. All the standard Microsoft emojis are there, as well as text emojis, and any symbols you would find useful. Also, if you want a cleaner interface, you can opt to view the app in Focus Mode, which will hide all the toolbars (and ads), allowing you to type without any distractions. You can also set the app to launch in Focus Mode.

Of course, everyone has a very different method when it comes to organizing the writing process. But if you’re looking for a more advanced Notepad, then Quick Pad could help you, and do it in style.