Open and read .txt, .log, .csv, and other plain-text files right in your browser. Large files open instantly, garbled characters can be fixed by switching the encoding, and you can search, filter log lines, jump to any line, or view CSV files as a table. Your file never leaves your device.
Drop a text file here
.txt, .log, .csv, .tsv, .md, .json, .ini, .cfg, .srt, .nfo and most other plain-text filesHow to open a TXT file online
- Select Open file or drag the file onto the viewer. You can also paste text.
- Read it with line numbers, or turn on Wrap lines for long paragraphs and the reading font for prose.
- Search with the box above the viewer. Turn on Only matching lines to see just the lines that contain your search, like a quick grep.
- If the text shows strange characters, pick a different encoding from the menu above the viewer, then use Save as UTF-8 to keep a fixed copy.
Open large text and log files
The viewer only draws the lines on screen, so a file with millions of lines scrolls as smoothly as a short one. Log files of hundreds of megabytes open in a few seconds, and you can jump straight to any line number. Very long single lines, such as minified data, are shortened on screen to keep the page responsive, but copying and saving always use the complete file.
For logs, Color log levels shows errors in red, warnings in amber, and debug lines dimmed, so problems stand out while you scroll. Combine it with a search for a request ID or error message and Only matching lines to pull everything related to one event onto the screen.
Fixing garbled characters
If you see text like café instead of café, or rows of question marks and boxes, the file was saved in a different encoding than the one used to read it. The opener detects UTF-8 and UTF-16 automatically, including files with a byte order mark, and falls back to Windows-1252 for older Western files. For files from other regions, try the matching encoding: Windows-1251 for Russian, Shift_JIS for Japanese, GBK for Simplified Chinese, and so on. Once the text reads correctly, Save as UTF-8 gives you a copy that opens correctly everywhere.
Viewing CSV and TSV files as a table
When a file looks like comma-, semicolon-, tab-, or pipe-separated data, a Table view appears. It lines the values up in columns, handles quoted values that contain commas or line breaks, and keeps the header row in place as you scroll. Search works in the table too, filtering to the rows that match.
Opening TXT files without a website
Every computer and phone can open plain text. On Windows, double-click the file to open it in Notepad. On a Mac, it opens in TextEdit. On iPhone and iPad, tap it in the Files app for a preview, and on Android, most file managers open it in a built-in text viewer. This tool is most useful when a file is too large for those apps, shows garbled characters, or needs searching and filtering.
Frequently asked questions
Is my file uploaded anywhere?
No. The file is read and displayed in your browser, and nothing is sent to a server. You can even disconnect from the internet after the page loads and it still works.
How big a file can I open?
Files up to about 300 MB open in most desktop browsers. The practical limit is your device’s memory, so phones and tablets handle smaller files.
What file types does it open?
Any plain-text file, whatever its extension, including .txt, .log, .csv, .tsv, .md, .json, .xml, .ini, .cfg, .conf, .srt, .nfo, .yaml, and source code. Word documents, PDFs, and other binary formats aren’t plain text and won’t display correctly.
Can I edit the file?
This is a viewer, so the text is read-only. You can copy all of it, or save a UTF-8 copy with the encoding fixed. To make changes, paste it into a text editor or our online notepad.
Does search support regular expressions?
Yes. Turn on the .* button to search with a regular expression, for example ERROR|FATAL or ^\d{4}-\d{2}-\d{2}. The Aa button matches case, and W matches whole words only.