Trash Can

For many users, the Notepad application that comes bundled with every fresh installation of Windows can be enough to accomplish the most basic tasks. However, if word formatting, inserting pictures color-coding your paragraphs is something that you desire in your writing endeavors, then Trash Can’s clean interface and focus on simplicity can be of good use, despite the unusual name it bears.

Upon first boot, users are greeted to a straightforward interface consisting of a top command bar placed up top for easy access that displays each button’s function when hovering the cursor, making the app usage easier for those whose workflows are primarily mouse-based.

When crafting essays or research papers, you may want to stress the importance of certain ideas to the overall topic you tackle, which is where functions such as bolding, italicizing and underlining text come to the rescue to fit your particular writing style.

For students, color-coding words or paragraphs can help you retain information more easily, and the application has support for such a feature as well. In the case of journaling, clicking the currently opened file’s title brings up a drop-down menu for quickly inserting the current date and time for better accuracy when recounting certain events.

The program excels in its use of modern design language, reminiscent of Microsoft’s latest implementation found in many of Windows’ preloaded apps. Being able to apply a dark mode for a better nighttime usage experience, along with toggling a collapsible sidebar for making good use of the available screen real estate, both contribute to the user experience.

Moreover, a nicely laid out homepage can be accessed at any time to preview and manage your files’ titles, descriptions and tags, removing the need to manually open or browse through them from the operating system’s file explorer.

The problem, however, lies with certain omissions that make it harder for many users to switch from WordPad. For instance, the lack of automatic hyperlink recognition or manual insertion function can make it harder for some to reference information found online. While images can be pasted from the clipboard, there is no option to insert them manually from the disk.

If you are looking for a Notepad replacement but WordPad’s design is outdated enough to distract you from the creative writing process, then Trash Can’s elegantly designed take on a word editor can suit your rich text formatting needs.