Notepad++ is a free, open-source text and source code editor for Windows. It is widely used by developers, programmers, and other professionals who need a powerful yet lightweight tool for editing plain text and source code.

Notepad++ is written in C++ and uses pure Win32 API and STL, based on the powerful editing component Scintilla, which ensures a higher execution speed and smaller program size. By optimizing as many routines as possible without losing user friendliness, Notepad++ is trying to reduce the world's carbon dioxide emissions. When using less CPU power, the PC can throttle down and reduce power consumption, resulting in a greener environment.

What is the difference between Notepad and Notepad++?

Notepad++ is an advanced version of Notepad, aimed at programmers, web designers, and IT professionals. It has basic IDE features but retains the familiarity of Notepad which is Windows' built-in text editor and very simple word processor.

What programming languages does Notepad++ support?

Notepad++ supports programming languages such as C, C++, Java, JavaScript, XML, Python, CSS, HTML, Ruby, Pascal, Visual Basic, and more.

Is Notepad++ better than Sublime Text?

Both applications are powerful text editors, but the main difference is that Notepad++ is open source and free. Sublime Text offers a trial version but it costs $99 per license. Another important difference is that Notepad++ is only available on Windows, while Sublime Text is available for Windows, Mac, and Linux. It is worth mentioning that Sublime Text offers an evaluation version that you can use for free, but it will constantly ask you to purchase the license.

Features

Notepad++ is a free (as in "free speech" and also as in "free beer") source code editor and Notepad replacement that supports several languages. Running in the MS Windows environment, its use is governed by GPL License.

This project is mature. However, there may be still some bugs and missing features that are being worked on. If you have any questions or suggestions about this project, please post them in the forums. Also, if you wish to make a feature request, you can post it there as well. But there's no guarantee that I'll implement your request.

You're encouraged to translate Notepad++ into your native tongue if there's not already a translation present in the Binary Translations page. And if you want, help translating Notepad++ official site into your native tongue would be greatly appreciated.

  • Syntax Highlighting and Syntax Folding
  • WYSIWYG
  • User Defined Syntax Highlighting
  • Auto-completion
  • Multi-Document
  • Multi-View
  • Regular Expression Search/Replace supported
  • Full Drag 'N' Drop supported
  • Dynamic position of Views
  • File Status Auto-detection
  • Zoom in and zoom out
  • Multi-Language environment supported
  • Bookmark
  • Brace and Indent guideline Highlighting
  • Macro recording and playback

What's New

  • Add Pin tab feature. (Fix #5786, #8377, #12806, #14216)
  • Tabbar enhancement: Hide inactive tab Close & Pin buttons. (Fix #15298)
  • Tabbar enhancement: Highlight inactive darken tab on mouse hover. (Fix #15791)
  • Fix Ctrl-C not doing copy from Search result issue. (Fix #15739)
  • Add "Minimize / Close to" option for System tray. (Fix #15771)
  • Add ability to open/copy selected files from Search-results. (Fix #15741)
  • Fix replace field focus losing when Notepad++ is switched back. (Fix #6021)

Notepad++ 8.7.1 release notes

  • Update cURL in Notepad++ updater (WinGUp) for fixing cURL's CVE-2024-7264 issue. (Fix #73)
  • Fix opened network files hanging while the network disconnected. (Fix #4306, #6178, #8055, #11388, #12553, #15540)
  • Fix not being able to open folder via cammand argument regression. (Fix #15645)
  • Update to Scintilla 5.5.3 & Lexilla 5.4.1. (Fix #15228, #15368, #15650)
  • Fix modified Find dialog status msg colors not being remembered throu sessions. (Fix #15724)
  • Fix hanging issue while hiding lines. (Fix #15630)
  • Make left behide hide line close marker removable. (Fix #15713)
  • Fix Find dialog status bar wrong messaging (regression). (Fix #15662)
  • Fix URL parsing issue with '?' after '#'. (Fix #13583)
  • Add "Close to system tray" ability. (Fix #4075, #11627)
  • Add tab created time tooltip for new opened untitled tab. (Fix #15563)
  • Improve GUI to avoid user confusion between Global override & Default Styles. (Fix #15640)