A web page is a text file with a .html name. The browser already knows how to open it. You do not need a hosting account, a framework, or a course. You need Notepad (or any editor), a folder, and a double-click.
What you need
- Notepad, Notepad++, VS Code, or any editor that will save as plain text
- A folder you can find again, for example Documents\my-first-page
In this guide
1. Make a folder and a file
In File Explorer, create Documents\my-first-page. Inside it, right-click → New → Text Document. Name it index.html. If Windows warns about changing the extension, Yes. If you cannot see the .txt, File Explorer → View → Show → File name extensions. The file must end in .html, not .html.txt.
2. Type a minimal page
Right-click index.html → Open with → Notepad. Replace everything with:
<!DOCTYPE html> <html lang="en"> <head> <meta charset="utf-8"> <title>My first page</title> </head> <body> <h1>Hello from my PC</h1> <p>This file lives in a folder on this computer.</p> <p><a href="https://marketpalace.shop/">A real link</a></p> </body> </html>
Save. The title is the tab name. The h1 is the big heading. The a is a link.
3. Open it in the browser
Double-click index.html. Chrome, Edge, or Firefox will open it. The address bar will show a file:/// path, not https. That is correct. This page is not on the internet. It is a file.
4. Change it and refresh
Go back to Notepad. Change the heading. Save. Click refresh in the browser. If nothing changes, you edited a different file, or you did not save. The loop is: edit, save, refresh. That is web development at this scale.
5. What to add next
In the same folder you can add style.css and link it from the head:
<link rel="stylesheet" href="style.css">
Put h1 { color: teal; } in the CSS file, save both, refresh. When you want a history of these files, that folder is a perfect first Git repo — Git for the first time.
Browser shows the code instead of the page
- The file is still
.txt. Turn on extensions and rename to.html. - You opened it in Word. Word is the wrong editor. Use Notepad or VS Code and save as plain text.
- You double-clicked a shortcut to an old copy. Check the
file:///path in the address bar.
Common questions
The browser shows the code, not the page.
The file is still .txt, or you opened it in Word. Turn on file extensions, name it index.html, edit in Notepad or VS Code.
Is this page on the internet?
No. A file:// address means it lives only on your PC. Hosting comes later. Learning the edit-save-refresh loop is the point.
What editor should I use after Notepad?
VS Code is fine and free. Any plain-text editor works. Avoid Word — it is not a code editor.
