How to merge multiple text files into one notepad file

To merge text files in Windows without third-party tools: use copy *.txt output.txt in Command Prompt; specify order with copy /b file1.txt file2.txt output.txt; use PowerShell’s Get-Content *.txt | Out-File for UTF8 and spacing; or create a reusable merge.bat script.

If you need to combine several text files into a single Notepad document, Windows provides built-in command-line tools that accomplish this without third-party software. Here are the methods to achieve this task:

The operating environment of this tutorial: Windows 11 Pro, Windows 11

1. Use the copy command in Command Prompt

This method concatenates all specified .txt files in sequence and writes them into a new file using the built-in copy command. It preserves original line endings and requires no external dependencies.

• Open Command Prompt as administrator or standard user
• Navigate to the folder containing the text files using cd
• Type copy *.txt merged_output.txt and press Enter
• Confirm the output file appears in the same directory

2. Concatenate specific files with explicit order

When file order matters—such as combining README.txt before CONTENT.txt—this approach gives precise control over sequence by listing each filename individually.

• Open Command Prompt and go to the target folder
• Enter copy /b file1.txt file2.txt file3.txt final.txt
• The /b flag ensures binary mode copying, preventing unintended EOF markers
• Verify the resulting file contains content from each source in listed order

3. Use PowerShell with Get-Content and Out-File

PowerShell offers greater flexibility for encoding handling and line separation. This method reads each file’s content, inserts blank lines between them, and saves the result with UTF8 encoding by default.

• Launch PowerShell
• Change to the directory with your text files using Set-Location
• Run Get-Content *.txt | Out-File -Encoding UTF8 merged.ps1.txt
• To add spacing between files, use Get-Content *.txt | ForEach-Object { $_; "" } | Out-File -Encoding UTF8 merged_spaced.txt

4. Create a batch script for repeated use

A reusable batch file automates merging across different folders without retyping commands. It accepts the output filename as an argument and processes all .txt files in the current location.

• Create a new text file named merge.bat in the target folder
• Add this content: @echo off copy /b *.txt %1
• Save and run it from Command Prompt with merge.bat combined.txt
• The script outputs combined.txt containing all source files

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