It’s no secret that computers, laptops, tablets, and smartphones, have become the most essential and basic amenities for almost everyone with a computer, laptop, or mobile device.
Usually, people purchase a computer or a laptop for handling some educational or professional work. One of the amazing things about Microsoft Windows is that it helps you write, prepare presentations, make Excel sheets, and more. Likewise, the Notepad app can assist you; it’s basically a scratchpad helpful for documenting everyday things—reminders, phone numbers, etc. What most people don’t know is that there are many cool hacking tricks Notepad and commands to enhance your experience.
These Notepad tricks can be done directly on your PC, so you can play around with them easily. Here are some alternative uses of Notepad that you’ve got to try out, and that’s why we bring you 15 of the Best Notepad Tricks, Hacks, and Commands
What is Notepad?
Notepad is a simple text editor offered by Microsoft’s Windows OS. Generally, we make use of Notepad for typing purposes and saving files to keep record of important things. Sometimes, Notepad is used by web designers and programmers for coding purposes. It also supports several different types of extensions.
Usually, people consider Notepad just as a text editor, but it’s more than that. In this article, you can find simple and Notepad tricks, commands, and other features that are accessible within the app. We can even use Notepad as a powerful tool to control and manipulate computer programs and services. By using these Notepad tricks, you can even prank or have fun with your friends. Check it out!
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Turn Notepad into a Diary
You can turn Notepad into a personal diary using this cool trick. Most people might not know that we can use Notepad as a diary with a date and time stamp on entries. These date and time features are one of the most amazing notepad tricks which you must try today. Just follow the simple steps given below to perform this:
- First, open Notepad.
- In the first line, type .LOG.
- Save this file as a .txt file. Then, write something on the notepad and save the file again.
- Close the saved file, and when the next time you open it, you should notice it is saved with the timestamp and the date.
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Shutdown Your Windows PC Using Notepad
This is a notepad trick that you might find helpful in sticky situations. There come many times when you are not able to shut down your computer screen using the shutdown button. In one of those cases, you can use this Notepad trick to shut down your PC super quickly.
- First, open Notepad.
- On the first line, type: @echo off.
- In the second line, type: msg * Shutdown computer
- For the third line, type: shutdown –c “Sleep Tight” –s
- Save this file with a .BAT extension. In order to save the file with the .bat extension, you have to designate the file type as All Files from the drop-down menu.
- Next time you click on this file, Windows will be shut down automatically.
Test Your Anti-Virus Using Notepad Tricks
Do you want to test if your Antivirus software’s real-time protection is working correctly? Then this European Institute for Computer Antivirus Research (EICAR standard antivirus) code will help you in that. Using the standard antivirus test file, ( 7cc 7 eicar standard) you can test your anti-virus program for its effectiveness. Just follow the steps given below:
- Open Notepad.
- Copy and paste this code into the notepad file: X5O!P%@AP[4PZX54(P^)7CC)7}$EICAR-STANDARD-ANTIVIRUS-TEST-FILE!$H+H*
- Save it with a .exe extension, for example “testantivirus.exe.”
- Once you save this file, your anti-virus program will detect any viruses immediately and will attempt to delete them.
- If this happens, then your anti-virus system is working properly. If not, then it’s time to look for a more reliable program.
Create A Password-Protected Folder Using Notepad
Notepad can lock your folders for you. It’s quite important to protect your folders with passwords. Luckily, there are various password manager software out there that upload data on their servers. To lock folders using Notepad, follow these steps:
- Open a new document in Notepad.
- Copy the code below into the new Notepad document:
@ECHO OFF
title Folder Private
if EXIST “Control Panel.{21EC2020-3AEA-1069-A2DD-08002B30309D}” goto UNLOCK
if NOT EXIST Private goto MDLOCKER
:CONFIRM
echo Are you sure you want to lock the folder(Y/N)
set/p “cho=>”
if %cho%==Y goto LOCK
if %cho%==y goto LOCK
if %cho%==n goto END
if %cho%==N goto END
echo Invalid choice.
goto CONFIRM
:LOCK
ren Private “Control Panel.{21EC2020-3AEA-1069-A2DD-08002B30309D}”
attrib +h +s “Control Panel.{21EC2020-3AEA-1069-A2DD-08002B30309D}”
echo Folder locked
goto End
:UNLOCK
echo Enter password to unlock folder
set/p “pass=>”
if NOT %pass%== 123456789 goto FAIL
attrib -h -s “Control Panel.{21EC2020-3AEA-1069-A2DD-08002B30309D}”
ren “Control Panel.{21EC2020-3AEA-1069-A2DD-08002B30309D}” Private
echo Folder Unlocked successfully
goto End
:FAIL
echo Invalid password
goto end
:MDLOCKER
md Private
echo Private created successfully
goto End
:End
- You will get a default password, “123456789”. Just change this to your own new password.
- Designate the file type as All Files (*.*) and save it as private.bat.
- When you click on the private.bat shortcut, it will create a private folder. You can move all your confidential files to this private folder.
- Once done, close the Private Folder.
- Now, no one will be able to access this folder without knowing the password.
Make Your PC Speak
This Notepad trick will make your computer speak any sentence you want it to. To do this, follow these steps:
- Open Notepad.
- Copy and paste this command into the notepad:
Dim message, sapi
message=InputBox(“What do you want me to say?”,”Speak to Me”)
Set sapi=CreateObject(“sapi.spvoice”)
sapi.Speak message
- Now, save the file as speak.vbs. You can either save the file type as All files.
- Double-click the file, and once you double click it will open a prompt. Enter the sentence you want your PC or laptop to speak.
- Hit the enter button or OK and Notepad will speak the sentence for you.
- Cool trick, isn’t it?
Pop Out CD Drive Continuously
This is a Notepad trick that should be performed a bit carefully. By implementing this funny command, the CD Drive of the system will keep popping in and out until you restart your system. So, before doing this, make sure you have access to a restart for your system. Just follow these steps to do it properly:
- Open a new Notepad file. Just copy and paste the below commands in the empty notepad file:
Set oWMP = CreateObject(“WMPlayer.OCX.7”)
Set colCDROMs = oWMP.cdromCollection
do
ifcolCDROMs.Count>= 1 then
For i = 0 to colCDROMs.Count – 1
colCDROMs.Item(i).Eject
Next
For i = 0 to colCDROMs.Count – 1
colCDROMs.Item(i).Eject
Next
End If
wscript.sleep 5000
loop
- Now save the notepad file with a .vbs extension. To do so, simply enter the desired name of the file and add .vbs just after the name. Then, in file type option, choose All Files from the drop-down menu.
- When you double-click on the saved file, the CD drive of the system will continuously pop out.
Make Your Keyboard LED Dance
Your keyboard has three LEDs above the number pad: Scroll Lock, Caps Lock, and Num Lock. This Notepad trick will make those three LEDs including (Caps Lock)continually turn on and off, creating dancing effects. In this trick, you will see your keyboard led will be dancing continuously. Just follow these steps to do so:
- Open Notepad.
- Enter the following code:
Set wshShell =wscript.CreateObject(“WScript.Shell”)
do
wscript.sleep 100
wshshell.sendkeys “{CAPSLOCK}”
wshshell.sendkeys “{NUMLOCK}”
wshshell.sendkeys “{SCROLLLOCK}”
loop
- Just save the file with .vbs extension and it could be something like this, Dance.vbs.
- Click the file to run and all your three LED lights will start dancing.
- If you want to stop it then open Task Manager by pressing ctrl + shift + Esc. Now switch to process tab and search wscript.exe and terminate it.
Matrix Effect
Just follow these steps to see an amazing matrix effect occur in your DOS window:
- Open Notepad.
- Copy the below text to your notepad file:
@echo off
color 02
:start
echo %random% %random% %random% %random% %random% %random% %random% %random% %random% %random%
goto start
- Save the file with a .bat extension like Matrix.bat when you goto start
- That’s all you need to do to acquire the matrix effect! Just open the file to see the matrix effect right before your eyes.
Open Notepad Continuously
- Open Notepad.
- Paste the following code into your notepad file:
@ECHO off
:top
START %SystemRoot%system32notepad.exe
GOTO top
- Save the file with any name, add the .bat extension and close it.
- Now open the file. Once you open this file, see how it annoys you by opening Notepad over and over again. This one can get old fast.
Convert Text Into Audio Using Notepad
- Open the Notepad file on your Windows PC.
- Copy and paste this code:
Dim msg, sapi
msg=InputBox(“Enter your text for conversion–www.techvorm.com”,”TechVorm Text-To-Audio Converter”)
Set sapi=CreateObject(“sapi.spvoice”)
sapi.Speak msg
- Save this file with any name with .vbs as an extension. For example: Text-To-Audio.vbs
- That’s it! You can now use your text-to-audio converter.
- Now, open the saved file and type in the text you want to convert. Then, click OK.
Create A Batch File Virus Using Notepad Tricks
This is the funniest and most interesting Notepad trick. The best thing about this prank is that it looks like an actual virus attack. If you have a good anti-virus, then it will detect this fake windows error as a Trojan. Follow the steps below:
- Firstly, open Notepad.
- Now copy this code and paste it into Notepad:
cls
:A
color 0a
cls
@echo off
echo Wscript.Sleep
echo Wscript.Sleep 5000>C:sleep5000.vbs
echo Wscript.Sleep 3000>C:sleep3000.vbs
echo Wscript.Sleep 4000>C:sleep4000.vbs
echo Wscript.Sleep 2000>C:sleep2000.vbs
cd %systemroot%System32
dir
cls
start /w wscript.exe C:sleep3000.vbs
echo Deleting Critical System Files…
echo del *.*
start /w wscript.exe C:sleep3000.vbs
echo Deletion Successful!
start /w wscript.exe C:sleep2000.vbs
echo:
echo:
echo:
echo Deleting Root Partition…
start /w wscript.exe C:sleep2000.vbs
echo del %SYSTEMROOT%
start /w wscript.exe C:sleep4000.vbs
echo Deletion Successful!
start /w wscript.exe C:sleep2000.vbs
echo:
echo:
echo:
echo Creating Directory h4x…
cd C:Documents and SettingsAll Users
Start MenuPrograms mkdir h4x
start /w wscript.exe C:sleep3000.vbs
echo Directory Creation Successful!
echo:
echo:
echo:
echo Execution Attempt 1…
start /w wscript.exe C:sleep3000.vbs
echo cd C:Documents and SettingsAll Users
Start MenuProgramsStartuph4x
echo start hax.exe
start /w wscript.exe C:sleep3000.vbs
echo Virus Executed!
echo:
echo:
echo:
start /w wscript.exe C:sleep2000.vbs
echo Disabling Windows Firewall…
start /w wscript.exe C:sleep2000.vbs
echo Killing all processes… start /w wscript.exe C:sleep2000.vbs
echo Allowing virus to boot from startup…
start /w wscript.exe C:sleep2000.vbs
echo:
echo:
echo Virus has been executed successfully!
start /w wscript.exe C:sleep2000.vbs echo:
echo Have fun!
start /w wscript.exe C:sleep2000.vbs
pause
shutdown -s -t 10 -c “Your computer has committed to death. Have a nice day.”
- Save the file with a .bat extension like virus.bat.
- Send the file to your friend’s computer and tell them to run the file. Now, watch the chaos ensue.
Type “You are a Fool” Continuously
- Open Notepad.
- Paste the following code into the notepad file:
Set wshShell = wscript.CreateObject(“WScript.Shell”)
do
wscript.sleep 100
wshshell.sendkeys “You are a fool.”
loop
- Save this file with any name (your choice) but save it with .vbs extension. Then, close the file.
- Open the file and see how it makes you type!
NOTE: In order to stop the vbs script, open your task manager and end the wscript.exe process.
Warning: This trick might be little messy and make all your windows and current processes blink numerous times, and show the message as “You are a Fool”! So, before trying this trick, please be careful!
Disable the Mouse
This is another interesting notepad trick that disables your mouse after double-clicking a created file:
- Open Notepad.
- Enter the following code in the notepad file:
rem Disable Mouse
set key=”HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINEsystemCurrentControlSetServicesMouclass”
reg delete %key%
reg add %key% /v Start /t REG_DWORD /d 4
- Save the file with Name.vbs extension and run it.
- This Notepad trick has now disabled your mouse!
Change The Header/Footer Of Your Notepad File
Suppose you want to get a printout of your notepad file. By default, it starts with “Untitled” or the filename at the top, and “Page” on the bottom. If you want to get rid of it, or at least want to change it, just follow these steps:
- Open Notepad.
- Click on File >> Page Setup.
- Replace the text written in the “Header” and “Footer” box by any of the following codes:
&l Left-align the characters that follow
&c Center the characters that follow
&r Right-align the characters that follow
&d Print the current date
&t Print the current time
&f Print the name of the document
&p Print the page number
There you go! These cool Notepad tricks are interesting and can let you have a little fun with your friends or colleagues. Enjoy!
Bonus: Alternatives to Notepad You Must Try Immediately
Notepad is a favorite Windows app. Moreover, this is why Microsoft has included it in every version of Windows since Windows 1.0, over three decades ago.
It has a rich history, but it also has a clean and straightforward user interface. Moreover, Notepad is a simple text editor that might be useful when your work does not require any text styling.
However, there are times when adding a few new functions to the text editor would make it far more helpful without being overkill. Nevertheless, Microsoft Word can be overkill because it is primarily a word processor and not a text editor. Thus, we’ll look at some of the most popular Notepad replacements and why they may make your life simpler.
EditPad Lite
EditPad Lite is a favorite among the masses since it is more similar to Notepad than Notepad++ is. Moreover, it doesn’t have the same syntax highlighting for code as Notepad++.
However, this isn’t necessarily a negative thing, especially if you aren’t a programmer. Additionally, we would recommend this application over Notepad++ for those searching for a Notepad alternative but not interested in the code highlighting capabilities. This software also receives regular updates.
Below are some of EditPad Lite’s strong characteristics that make it a superior text editor versus Notepad:
- Enables you to open several text files at the same time (unlimited)
- More Efficient than any other editor, it has a comprehensive search and put feature
- It Has a Clip Collection function that saves a list of text samples for later usage
- Automatic auto-save and backup tools to ensure that your work is never lost
- Undo and redo are unlimited, even if the file is saved
PSPad
PSPad is another coding-oriented application, with capabilities such as:
- Syntax highlighting
- A built-in FTP client
- A macro recording
- User-defined highlighting
- A comprehensive HEX editor
- An integrated CSS editor
PSPad contains a grammar checker, auto-correction, text comparison, search and change, multiple tabs, and other standard text editing capabilities.
Because it was just updated, it’s a little better than many of the editors. Additionally, the software is ad-supported. Thus, be cautious while installing it because it will prompt you to install additional apps. Moreover, it’s a little frustrating that you have to hit Decline approximately four times.
NoteTab Lite
NoteTab Light isn’t the most advanced text editor available, but it’s a good substitute for Notepad. Although the application claims to be both a text editor and a programming tool, the free edition lacks syntax highlighting and only implements HTML and CSS.
Text snippets, clipboard copying, in-text computations, and variable-width fonts are all supported in terms of text editing.
Unfortunately, the free edition lacks certain critical functions like a word processor, word count, print sample, and multi-level undo/redo. Because several of the free options have these additional capabilities,
FluentNotepad
FluentNotepad is a notepad substitute that is meant to appear like Office only with Ribbon UI. However, it is really simple. I don’t suggest this application because it hasn’t been updated since 2010. In addition, the ribbon UI only offers a single tab, and the designer never added anymore.
Its sole redeeming features are syntax highlighting for ten coding languages and the ability to open numerous tabs. It doesn’t have a lot of text editing options, and it also doesn’t have a lot of code manipulation options.
That should be enough apps for everyone to discover a suitable substitute for Notepad. It all boils down to whether or not you require syntax highlighting when coding.
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