Notepad++ is a free source code editor and text editor for Windows. It supports multiple programming languages and offers features like syntax highlightingcode foldingand auto-completion. The software is practical and customizablemaking it popular among developers for editing code and text files efficiently.
Designed simply as a more robust alternative to the basic text editorNotepadNotePad++ has quickly become a fastlightweight solution for writing and editing code. With this tool's syntax highlighting and multiple programming languages that the editor supportsit's the go-to choice for developers on Windows computers.
If you download NotePad++ and find out you need moreits features can also be expandedas the tool has a vast community that creates various add-ons for this utility.
Notepad++ runs in the Microsoft Windows environment and is licensed under the GNU General Public License (GPL). It is based on the powerful Scintilla editing component. The program is written in C++ and uses the pure Win32 API and STLwhich ensures faster performance and a smaller program size. It is no available for macOS and Linux environments.
Why Should I Download NotePad++?
If you require a basic text editing tool with no special formattingNotePad++ will do just finebut its real power lies in the features that are especially useful and appreciated by developers. Based on C++this tool can work with even large files and remain quick and efficient when you work on big projects and need to switch between documents.
You can choose to work with over 20 programming languages that include: ASPBaanCCC++COBOLDiffESCRIPTFreebasicGui4CliHTMLIntel HexJavaJavaScriptJSONKiXtartLaTeXMatlabMS-DOS StyleNimrodNormal TextOScriptPascalPHPPerlPostScriptPythonREBOLRubyShellSpiceSQLTCLTeXVisual Basic (VBA)VerilogXMLYAML. You can even specify your own syntaxbut no matter which language you choosethe syntax highlighting feature will adjust to it. Thanks to color-codingyou can easily recognize different parts of codelike keywords and variables.
When you download NotePad++ and open documents for editingyou will quickly realize that the tool supports opening multiple documentseach visible in a separate tab. You can also place two of them side by side or open the same document twice if you need to reference different parts of it simultaneously.
Developers working on large projects will also appreciate the possibility of collapsing parts of the file thanks to code folding. Other valuable features include auto-completing your codefor exampleby suggesting code snippets or functionsas well as closing tags so that you can save timebe more productiveand make fewer errors. You can also search through your files with regular expressions (based on PCRE)utilize the search and replace function that NotePad++ offers.
Thanks to the great and vibrant communityyou can download NotePad++ pluginswhich can expand the tool with such features as FTP integrationscode improvementversion controlor even connecting to remote servers. Because this utility is available under the GNU General Public Licenseall of its users can downloaduseand modify it as they want and then distribute their own versions. The levels of customization and flexibility of NotePad++ make sure that you can adjust the interface and functionalities as you need and work in an environment that is best for your flow. With how reliable and quick the software iseven on older machinesthis utility has become a trusted solution for multiple users who work on it daily.
Is NotePad++ Free?
One of the reasons millions of users choose to download NotePad++ is the fact that the tool is completely freeas well as most of the extensions and plugins that the community develops. If you modify and then distribute your own versionyou can also do it for free without worrying about cost.
What Operating Systems are Compatible with NotePad++?
While highly popular and extremely usefulone issue is that users can only download NotePad++ if they're running their PC on Windowswhether the full version or a portable one that can be launched from a USB memory stick. Though it supports Windows versions from XP all the way to 10 and 11 in both 32-bit and 64-bit architecturesNotePad++ is not available on macOS or Linux.
There might be some compatibility layers you could use to run it on different systems; there is no native solution.
What Are The Alternatives to NotePad++?
One option is to use Sublime Texta text editor with advanced featuresa modern interfaceand outstanding performance. In addition to highlights and color-coding parts of codeyou can enable a distraction-free modeopen a command palette for accessing features fasteror even work with multiple cursors. Currently available on WindowsmacOSand LinuxSublime Text has an everlasting trial periodeven though the tool suggests upgrading to its paid versionwhich is technically available.
Another tool that is available on macOSWindowsand Linuxas well as a huge library of over 37,000 add-onsis VSCODE (Visual Studio Code). Created by Microsoftthis utility can handle multiple programming languagesversioningand debuggingas well as have integration with a Commit system and Git interface. It can be linked with a variety of different tools for different purposeslike graphical designtranslationor office software. Thanks to its IntelliSense featureit can intelligently complete your code based on variablesfunctionsand even imported modules.
If you need a utility that will be able to handle large-scale projects without compromising performance, UltraEdit is the best solution. Explicitly developed with this use case in mindyou can download it on WindowsmacOSand Linux computers and enjoy features such as advanced search and replacebuilt-in FTPand editing in column mode. If you're not sure if that's the right solutionyou can download UltraEdit and use it for a trial period before you decide to upgrade to the paid version.
For Linux users who just want software that is really similar to NotePad++there's also Notepadqqwhich tries to be a faithful replica of the Windows software. While it doesn't have such an extensive library of addonsit remains free and open-source and offers a similar set of featuresincluding color codinghighlightingcollapsing parts of codeand opening and working on documents in multiple tabs.
