How To: Make a Quick Note Button for Windows

A lot of times when I'm working I need a quick writing space to jot down some notes, work with copy/pasting text or write down something I'm being told on the phone. For that purpose I like the Notepad application that comes with windows: it's lightweight, loads quickly, lacks formatting quirks and exports well to lots of formats. I like to keep one master "Notes" document for stuff I'm working on, then save new ones as I need them. I thought I'd throw together a quick tutorial on how to do this if it sounds like something that would come in handy.



Step 1:
Navigate to your root directory (usually C:/) by double-clicking "My Computer>Local Disk (C:)." Right click in the blank area and click "New>Text Document." Rename the file something simple like "Notes.txt" This will be your master notes file that you will launch to from the button.









Step 2:
Right-click and drag the new file onto the desktop, drop it and select "Create Shortcut Here." You now have a shortcut to the text file in your root directory. Double-clicking this link will open the document.








Step 3:
Left-click and drag the new shortcut from your desktop onto the Quick Launch. Now every time you want to open your notes you can do it with a single click!






Whenever you open the file and jot down some notes just hit "Save" to alter the original Notes file. If you want to save something elsewhere, choose "Save As" and select a different name and your "Notes" file will remain as-is. I find this really convenient when I'm at the computer and don't have a pen and paper handy and need to jot something down. It's also a good way to manage multiple things that you want to copy and paste.