Is there some way that I can make TextEdit open a new document set to "Wrap to Window" as I don't like the large gutter around the edges since it is just text document and normally not printed out?
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TextEdit to open with "Wrap to Window"
- Thread starter Ambrosia7177
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The global preference for each new document in macOS 10.14.6: TextEdit Preferences > New Document > in the Format section, untick Wrap to page.
When that preference is ticked, to change an open document: in the TextEdit menu bar click Format > Wrap to Window.
When that preference is ticked, to change an open document: in the TextEdit menu bar click Format > Wrap to Window.
I am typing on Mountain Lion, and on my "new" MacBook Pros I have Sierra.
Sounds like I would need to upgrade to get what I want?
Booted to Mountain Lion, tried TextEdit.
Did the same booted to Yosemite, then returned to my normal Mojave system.
TextEdit app showed the exact same options in preferences on all three systems.
None show the Format> Wrap to Window.
All show Format> Wrap to Page
Where, exactly, in the preferences do you see Format> Wrap to Window (?)
I'm still not sure exactly what difference in a text document you expect to see.
Did the same booted to Yosemite, then returned to my normal Mojave system.
TextEdit app showed the exact same options in preferences on all three systems.
None show the Format> Wrap to Window.
All show Format> Wrap to Page
Where, exactly, in the preferences do you see Format> Wrap to Window (?)
I'm still not sure exactly what difference in a text document you expect to see.
Here are my Preferences on my old MBP with Mountain Lion...
And when I do File > New this is what I see...
This is what i would like to see...
Ideally, including the Window size shown abaove too!
I use TextEdit - like most people use Text Editors - in order to take quick notes about stuff (e.g. phone call notes, start/end times for a radio show in Audacity, URLs I like, etc)
So I don't want the "gutter"/margins that normally appear like when you are creating a letter in MS Word. And I also don't want a full sized window, because I often want a tiny Post-It note size window that I can quickly type in while I am working in other documents (e.g. I want to be able to open a TextEdit document quickly while Audacity is recording my show, see the time it started, type that into TextEdit, and not have the window block Audacity otherwise i cannot see the time until it is passed?!
Follow me?
Ah, OK....
The settings in TextEdit for both Mountain Lion, and Mojave are virtually identical.
So, it's probably pointless to upgrade your OS X system, when there is no distinctive change in the look of TextEdit
You can get the (plain) window that you want as a default for a new doc by unchecking that Format< Wrap to Page box.
And, as rshrugged pointed out above, you can toggle in and out of that plain-view page by clicking on "Wrap to Page (or Window)" under the Format menu in Textedit.
Or even easier, if your doc is showing the "gutters" that you don't want, simply press Shift-Command-W, and the wrap mode will toggle instantly. (You do need to have an active doc (with TextEdit menus showing in the top menu) for that quick toggle to work, of course)
The settings in TextEdit for both Mountain Lion, and Mojave are virtually identical.
So, it's probably pointless to upgrade your OS X system, when there is no distinctive change in the look of TextEdit
You can get the (plain) window that you want as a default for a new doc by unchecking that Format< Wrap to Page box.
And, as rshrugged pointed out above, you can toggle in and out of that plain-view page by clicking on "Wrap to Page (or Window)" under the Format menu in Textedit.
Or even easier, if your doc is showing the "gutters" that you don't want, simply press Shift-Command-W, and the wrap mode will toggle instantly. (You do need to have an active doc (with TextEdit menus showing in the top menu) for that quick toggle to work, of course)
Why does "Wrap to Page" give you a new doc with gutters?
Well I know I can do this to get the effect I wanted...
But that is the step I wanted to remove!
It looks like these tweaks give me what I wanted...
The TextEdit user guide (available under the Help menu) has something to say about that:
Alternatively, wrap to window just shows you the window, no indication of margins, just text (and what you want)
So, those lines that you call "gutters" are just showing you the page size, with the relative placement of the margins.
Alternatively, wrap to window just shows you the window, no indication of margins, just text (and what you want)
You know, my brain wasn't working.
I was focusing on "wrap to" and not the distiction of "wrap to PAGE" and "wrap to WINDOW"
I get it now! 😊
Yeah, what you said now makes more sense.
Botom line is thanks to your help and some fiddling, now when I launch text Edit and do command + N, I get a tiny window with no margins/gutters that doesn't hid the main window I am working in, and it is a quick way for me to take notes.
Thanks!!
Changing the settings to what I have in post #7 above works great for opening a new TextEdit document, but the problem is that when I open an *existing* document it opens up at the same size, which is a new problem because then you get stuck having to s-t-r-e-t-c-h out the window so the text doesn't wrap.
Is there a way to "have my cake and eat it too" on this issue?
Ideally...
1.) When I open a NEW window I want it set to...
- "Wrap to Page" = NO
- Width = 50 characters
- Height = 15 lines
2.) For SAVED documents,...
- "Wrap to Page" = <whatever setting I saved things as>
- Width = <whatever setting I saved things as>
- Height = <whatever setting I saved things as>
Usually in computing, when you save the characteristics of a document and save the document, the settings get *retained* which is what I was expecting TextEdit to do, but clearly it isn't working that way...
Is there a way to "have my cake and eat it too" on this issue?
Ideally...
1.) When I open a NEW window I want it set to...
- "Wrap to Page" = NO
- Width = 50 characters
- Height = 15 lines
2.) For SAVED documents,...
- "Wrap to Page" = <whatever setting I saved things as>
- Width = <whatever setting I saved things as>
- Height = <whatever setting I saved things as>
Usually in computing, when you save the characteristics of a document and save the document, the settings get *retained* which is what I was expecting TextEdit to do, but clearly it isn't working that way...
For what it's worth, my saved TextEdit documents open at whatever the window size was when it was last Saved. I just opened a bunch of documents, and each opened with a different window size. If I then adjust the window size and Save, when opened the next time it opens to the new (adjusted) size. If I adjust the window size but do not Save before closing, it next re-opens at the original size.
If I understand correctly, all your Saved TextEdit documents are opening with a single window size, regardless of what you saved?
If I understand correctly, all your Saved TextEdit documents are opening with a single window size, regardless of what you saved?
Maybe it is an issue with older macOS's?
Correct. TextEdit is making all windows the size of my new default settings, and is *ignoring* the size of the Window when I resize the document window and save the document.
This happens with MountainLion and Sierra.
Side Note:
Yeah, I know I need to catch up with the 21st century, but...
- I am so busy I haven't even had time to migrate everything off of my 2009 MBP to my 2013 Retina
- Audio on my Retina with Sierra is FUBAR'ed so I have to use my old MBP with Mountain Lion to record music and videos in Audacity.
- Sierra seems stable and predictable, so why upgrade?
- I am just so far behind in life that I don't have the time to install a new macOS and deal with settig up all of my software and migarting data, although that day is probably coming sooner than later?!
FWIW, I get the same behavior with Plain Text documents in macOS 10.14.6/TextEdit 1.14 (341).
Plain Text -- change window size > save > close. When reopened, window size change is not maintained; document uses preference settings.
RTF -- change window size > save > close. When reopened, window size change is maintained.
Plain Text workaround to maintain window size -- before saving/closing document for which you've changed the window size: TextEdit menu bar > Format > Make Rich Text. Save/close. After reopening: Format > Make Plain Text.
This is the only way I've found that works for me. I've tried changing encoding, etc. Doesn't mean there isn't another way. The only reasoning I could come up with is Plain Text's lack of formatting, including the ruler functions. Is it tied in? Just a guess.
Plain Text -- change window size > save > close. When reopened, window size change is not maintained; document uses preference settings.
RTF -- change window size > save > close. When reopened, window size change is maintained.
Plain Text workaround to maintain window size -- before saving/closing document for which you've changed the window size: TextEdit menu bar > Format > Make Rich Text. Save/close. After reopening: Format > Make Plain Text.
This is the only way I've found that works for me. I've tried changing encoding, etc. Doesn't mean there isn't another way. The only reasoning I could come up with is Plain Text's lack of formatting, including the ruler functions. Is it tied in? Just a guess.
@rshrugged,
Thanks for researching that for me.
Just tried your advice and it seems to work on Mountain Lion and Sierra - although the first time it didn't work in ML because the document got saved as .txt even though I changed the preferences to Rich Text?!
For my purposes, I guess that doesn't really take anything away, and does allow me to get a default doc that is tiny so I can type on-the-fly and not obscure other applications in the background.
But then before I save a document, I can stretch it to dimensions that make sense for the content.
The only place where I can see that as an issue might be where you need pure text (e.g. programming, command-line, etc).
1.) Will a .rtf document get me into trouble if I was using it in a programming context?
2.) Is the .rtf format problematic if I need to later open a document in Windows or Linux?
Thanks!