---
title: Plain Text Files for Notes
permalink: /:title/
description: "Moving to plain text, away from proprietary formats"
category: technology
fedi-url: https://social.ayco.io/@ayo/113409643660863435
---

I’m now leaning on plain text files for notes instead of proprietary formats. 

Currently, I have hundreds of notes scattered across OneNote and Apple Notes. I’ve accumulated so much notes on OneNote because I’ve been a fan of it since it came out and has been too lazy to move away (if it works, it works). Apple Notes more recently offers convenience for quick notes on Apple devices.

However, I often struggle with these apps due to syncing issues or restrictions (enterprise workers will understand), or just the lack of cross-platform availability. Maybe the worst is when I’m on Linux and would need a browser to access notes; and no, I don’t want to use some obscure workaround just for notes.

So, I realized: plain text files don’t have any of these issues.

If I have a preferred text editor on one platform, I’m not locked into using only that on another. Any cloud sync service would be fine too; I can even use git if I want. :)

