Is there any way to create a simple txt file without opening the terminal?

Solution 1:

Ubuntu 16.04 and earlier:

Prior to 16.10, you can create blank text-files by simply right clicking on the desired location in Nautilus.

Ubuntu 16.10 and Later:

Later versions of Nautilus ("Files") removed this feature so you cannot create a blank text-file by just clicking anywhere. You need to use the "Templates" folder for this purpose.

To do this, first navigate to your templates directory:

Then open a Terminal in that folder (by right clicking > "Open in Terminal") and then type the following command in the terminal.

touch "Blank Document"

You can name this file anything you want. I personally prefer "Blank Document" because what it creates is essentially a blank document.

After this you should be able to create blank text-files anywhere you want (and are allowed to):

Note: You can use the Templates folder to do many other things like creating a particular image, etc. Anything you put there will appear in the "New Document" menu.

Solution 2:

Right click inside the folder or on the desktop and choose New Document -> Empty Document and write the name and extension you want, for example myfile.txt.

Note that this option was removed in Ubuntu 16.10.

Solution 3:

Navigate to the folder where you want to place the new document using the Nautilus file browser.

Right-click anywhere in the empty space in the folder and choose New Document from the menu.

Solution 4:

Click the Ubuntu logo to open the dash, then start typing Text Editor.

Click the Text Editor logo.

Type in any text you want in the file, then in the top-right of the menu, click File, then Save (or press Ctrl+S on the keyboard). Select the name and location for the file and click Save.

Solution 5:

"Without opening the terminal" - if you press Alt+F2, you get a mini-command line, which will close as soon as you press return and it executes your command - is that allowed?

If so, Alt+F2, then

touch filename

Or

> filename

This has the advantage of not having to take your hand from the keyboard to use the mouse.