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How to save text files to a folder like on a PC?

Started Dec 20, 2021 | Questions
skyglider Veteran Member • Posts: 6,451
How to save text files to a folder like on a PC?

On my Samsung S8 phone, I have the "Samsung Notes" and "Notepad Free" apps. Both allow saving notes within the app itself. So when I open either app , they just show a jumble of notes that I have to scroll through to hunt for the note that I want to read.

I want to write and read text notes just like I do using my PC. IOW, create a "Text Files" folder. Then use an app like the windows "Notepad" to save each note with a descriptive name in the "Text Files" folder.  When I want to read a note, I want to open the "Text Files" folder and see a list of text files.  Then tap on the name of the file that I want to read.

How can I do that on my phone?

ANSWER:
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Ken Gosden Veteran Member • Posts: 3,025
Re: How to save text files to a folder like on a PC?

skyglider wrote:

On my Samsung S8 phone, I have the "Samsung Notes" and "Notepad Free" apps. Both allow saving notes within the app itself. So when I open either app , they just show a jumble of notes that I have to scroll through to hunt for the note that I want to read.

I want to write and read text notes just like I do using my PC. IOW, create a "Text Files" folder. Then use an app like the windows "Notepad" to save each note with a descriptive name in the "Text Files" folder. When I want to read a note, I want to open the "Text Files" folder and see a list of text files. Then tap on the name of the file that I want to read.

How can I do that on my phone?

Hmm, Android doesn't really work like windows in that regard.  The system is app centric, not file driven.  I did find that x-plore file manager from Lonely Cat Games had an integrated text file creator which let's you create a file in a specified folder while in the app. However,  I think you will find it cumbersome and too busy just for this specific need.

Have you looked at Evernote?  The free version might meet your organizational needs.

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I2K4
I2K4 Senior Member • Posts: 1,441
Re: How to save text files to a folder like on a PC?

Maybe enough for you X-plore File Manager has a built in *txt file reader/writer. To create a new document you navigate to the folder, choose "New Text File" icon and it pops up and saves to that folder. Opening a *txt file is a tap. It's free, no ads, quite powerful, supports a lot of cloud storage services, but is dual pane - which I like but not everybody's preference. (It also has a good basic image viewer, including DNGs.)

No surprise if some other good file managers also have a text file utility.  (I personally use an app called Simplenote that cloud-syncs across Android and PCs for unimportant notes, works as well as Google Keep but it's not Google snoopy.)

OP skyglider Veteran Member • Posts: 6,451
Re: How to save text files to a folder like on a PC?

Ken Gosden wrote:

Have you looked at Evernote? The free version might meet your organizational needs.

I will check Evernote out.  Thanks.

OP skyglider Veteran Member • Posts: 6,451
Re: How to save text files to a folder like on a PC?

I2K4 wrote:

Maybe enough for you X-plore File Manager has a built in *txt file reader/writer. To create a new document you navigate to the folder, choose "New Text File" icon and it pops up and saves to that folder. Opening a *txt file is a tap. It's free, no ads, quite powerful, supports a lot of cloud storage services, but is dual pane - which I like but not everybody's preference. (It also has a good basic image viewer, including DNGs.)

Sounds like X-plore File Manager might be what I'm looking for.  Will check it out.  Thanks.

No surprise if some other good file managers also have a text file utility. (I personally use an app called Simplenote that cloud-syncs across Android and PCs for unimportant notes, works as well as Google Keep but it's not Google snoopy.)

Ken Gosden Veteran Member • Posts: 3,025
Re: How to save text files to a folder like on a PC?

skyglider wrote:

Ken Gosden wrote:

Have you looked at Evernote? The free version might meet your organizational needs.

I will check Evernote out. Thanks.

I think it will be better overall than just trying to use X plore and text files.  Evernote will let you access your notes from your desktop or other devices even with the free version.  I have a phone, (4) Android tablets, (2) iPads (1 work, 1 personal), a desktop and a work laptop so I use the paid version to be able to get to my notes no matter where.  Even the free version would let you sync notes between a phone and a single PC.

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OP skyglider Veteran Member • Posts: 6,451
Re: How to save text files to a folder like on a PC?

Ken Gosden wrote:

skyglider wrote:

I will check Evernote out. Thanks.

I think it will be better overall than just trying to use X plore and text files. Evernote will let you access your notes from your desktop or other devices even with the free version. I have a phone, (4) Android tablets, (2) iPads (1 work, 1 personal), a desktop and a work laptop so I use the paid version to be able to get to my notes no matter where. Even the free version would let you sync notes between a phone and a single PC.

I've been checking Evernote out. Apparently it is an online service and requires subscribing to the premium version for offline use. Here's an excerpt from a webpage for the free version:

No access to your notes while browsing offline. Better hope your mobile reception doesn't drop out!

https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/ditch-evernote/

Not what I have in mind, but thanks.

Sky

I2K4
I2K4 Senior Member • Posts: 1,441
Re: How to save text files to a folder like on a PC?

skyglider wrote:

I2K4 wrote:

Maybe enough for you X-plore File Manager has a built in *txt file reader/writer. To create a new document you navigate to the folder, choose "New Text File" icon and it pops up and saves to that folder. Opening a *txt file is a tap. It's free, no ads, quite powerful, supports a lot of cloud storage services, but is dual pane - which I like but not everybody's preference. (It also has a good basic image viewer, including DNGs.)

Sounds like X-plore File Manager might be what I'm looking for. Will check it out. Thanks.

...

I read your issue to be wanting simple text files on Android local storage.

A frustration of a lot of cloud sync/storage services on Android is their proprietary apps won't save to the phone itself, the way their desktop clients do on PCs. If you use OneDrive, Mega, Dropbox, Google Drive to sync on PC and want true local sync on Android there are a few third-party apps - I settled on AutoSync (MetaCtrl) for OneDrive and Mega storage. Anything (docs, images, video) I want to sync from phone storage to PC goes into a local folder for one of those - on home wifi they'll automatically sync to PCs. (The free versions will sync a single folder and others nested within it but have ads. He has apparently built a multi-service app, I don't need and haven't tried.)

singingamy New Member • Posts: 8
Re: How to save text files to a folder like on a PC?

evernote should be just fine for your purposes

Sugasmune Senior Member • Posts: 1,519
Notepad++ or Andr OpenOffice

Notepad++ is faster.

stevet1 Senior Member • Posts: 1,299
Re: How to save text files to a folder like on a PC?

skyglider wrote:

On my Samsung S8 phone, I have the "Samsung Notes" and "Notepad Free" apps. Both allow saving notes within the app itself. So when I open either app , they just show a jumble of notes that I have to scroll through to hunt for the note that I want to read.

I want to write and read text notes just like I do using my PC. IOW, create a "Text Files" folder. Then use an app like the windows "Notepad" to save each note with a descriptive name in the "Text Files" folder. When I want to read a note, I want to open the "Text Files" folder and see a list of text files. Then tap on the name of the file that I want to read.

How can I do that on my phone?

skyglider,

You could take a look at an app called WPS Office. It's free.

It works like Microsoft Office. You can do word processing documents, spreadsheets, presentations, etc.

Word processing documents are saved as docx files, in a My Documents folder.

When you come back to it, open WPS Office and click on the word Open in the top right hand corner. You can then tap on your "My Documents" folder.

You can also search for these in your secondary home screen. Start from your home screen and swipe upwards. Go to the top of the page and tap on Search. Tap on Search, and choose My Files. You can then look for documents, images, etc.

You can save files on your device or Cloud Storage. I've never used the Cloud Storage, so I don't know how that works.

(Just as an aside, it will also read .odt files created by Libre Office.)

Steve Thomas

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OP skyglider Veteran Member • Posts: 6,451
Re: How to save text files to a folder like on a PC?

stevet1 wrote:

skyglider,

You could take a look at an app called WPS Office. It's free.

It works like Microsoft Office. You can do word processing documents, spreadsheets, presentations, etc.

Word processing documents are saved as docx files, in a My Documents folder.

When you come back to it, open WPS Office and click on the word Open in the top right hand corner. You can then tap on your "My Documents" folder.

You can also search for these in your secondary home screen. Start from your home screen and swipe upwards. Go to the top of the page and tap on Search. Tap on Search, and choose My Files. You can then look for documents, images, etc.

You can save files on your device or Cloud Storage. I've never used the Cloud Storage, so I don't know how that works.

(Just as an aside, it will also read .odt files created by Libre Office.)

Steve Thomas

I'll check WPS Office out.  Thanks!

jackwelch Senior Member • Posts: 1,087
Re: How to save text files to a folder like on a PC?

I use droidedit, there's a free and paid app. It was so good I got the paid version.

Although I am not sure if the app has been updated lately, it still works so I'm going to keep using it.

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