# Introduction to document editors

A document editor or word processor is a software application that helps write, edit, format, and publish documents. A document editor differs from a text editor in that it is purpose-built for creating human-readable documents -- rather than simply for modifying text or code snippets. If you look at virtually any industry -- education, research, business, and so on -- document editors are more or less ubiquitous. The most popular document editors globally are Microsoft Word and Google Docs, but it wasn't always that way.

# History of the document editor