Creating a Plain-Text File

Options for creating plain-text files include:

• the Editor window in IDLE — the same one that you use to write Python scripts. Use File → New File to open a new Editor window. When saving the file, use File → Save As..., and select Text files (*.txt) as the file type, entering the full filename — including a .txt extension.
• Notepad in Windows. Notepad should save plain text files by default.
• WordPad in Windows. Use File → Save As... and select the option that allows you to save the file as a Text Document — rather than Rich Text Format (RTF), which is the default.
• TextEdit on the Mac. Use the Make Plain Text command in the Format menu before saving the file.

Note: Some programs give you multiple options for plain text. If this is the case in your program, make sure that you do not select Unicode (UTF-16).