How to Make TextEdit Open a Blank File by Default on macOS

Learn how to make TextEdit on MacOS open with a blank file by default. Follow these simple steps to customize the behavior of TextEdit.

By default, when launching TextEdit on Mountain Lion (or the latest OS), a file picker appears, allowing the user to either store the file in iCloud or open a local file.

However, if you prefer TextEdit to open a blank file by default without disabling document and data syncing, you can execute the following command in Terminal:

defaults write -g NSShowAppCentricOpenPanelInsteadOfUntitledFile -bool false

If you want to apply this setting to TextEdit only, use this command instead:

defaults write com.apple.TextEdit NSShowAppCentricOpenPanelInsteadOfUntitledFile -bool false

After running the command, quit and reopen TextEdit to see the changes.

To revert to the original behavior, execute the following command:

defaults delete -g NSShowAppCentricOpenPanelInsteadOfUntitledFile

That's all there is to it!