MacOS: How to open a blank file by default when using TextEdit

In previous MacOS versions, TextEdit used to open with a blank file by default. After upgrading to Mountain Lion (or the latest OS), TextEdit launches with a file picker by default (either for choosing to store the file in iCloud or for opening a local file).

If you want TextEdit to open a blank file by default and you don’t want to disable syncing documents and data, go to Terminal and run the following command:

defaults write -g NSShowAppCentricOpenPanelInsteadOfUntitledFile -bool false

To set this for TextEdit only:

defaults write com.apple.TextEdit NSShowAppCentricOpenPanelInsteadOfUntitledFile -bool false

Then, quit and reopen TextEdit to apply the changes.

To restore the original behavior, you must run:

defaults delete -g NSShowAppCentricOpenPanelInsteadOfUntitledFile

That’s it!