Notepad has been the standard text editor included in Windows for many years, allowing you to create and edit plain text files. But, did you know you can also use Notepad to keep a dated log or journal? It’s very easy and we’ll show you how.

Open Notepad and type

        .LOG
    

in all caps on the first line of the new text file.

01_typing_log_on_first_line

Select “Save As” from the “File” menu.

02_selecting_save_as

Navigate to the folder in which you want to save your log or journal file. Enter a name for the file in the “File name” box and click “Save”. You can give the file any name you want.

03_save_as_dialog

The time and date are not added to the file until you close and reopen the file, so click on the “X” button in the upper-right corner of the Notepad window to close it.

04_closing_notepad

Reopen the text file you saved. The time and date are entered automatically, and the cursor is placed on the next line ready for you to start typing your log or journal entry. Save the file when you’re done and close Notepad.

05_first_log_entry

The next time you open the file again, the time and date are added to the end of the file. Your file will start looking like the image at the beginning of this article. You can move or rename the file and the date and time will still be inserted every time you open the file.