Notepad++ - Free Text Editor
Download Notepad++, also known as Notepad Plus Plus - it is a text editor that can be used for working with texts as well as for writing and editing code.
Notepad++ is a free text editor for Windows that supports multiple programming languages and syntax highlighting. Notepad++ is based on the Scintilla component and is written in C++.
The text editor supports more than 80 programming languages, such as C, C++, Java, Python, HTML, CSS, JavaScript, PHP, SQL, and others. For each language, it provides syntax highlighting, word and bracket autocompletion, highlighting of matching brackets and tags, code folding, and other features. Notepad++ also allows creating custom languages and defining highlighting rules for them.
Notepad++ is an energy-efficient editor that uses minimal computer resources. It operates quickly and stably even when handling large files. Notepad++ also supports portable mode, allowing it to be run from any storage device without the need for installation on the computer.
You can add an unlimited number of tabs by simply hovering over an empty area next to the last tab and double-clicking the left mouse button. The application Notepad Plus provides an advanced word search system. Notepad++ allows you to manage the entire set of options using hotkeys (more than 280 actions are available). Download Notepad++ from the link below:
Download Notepad++The functionality of Notepad++ is something in between a text and code editor. It can be used for a variety of tasks, it's quite versatile. Here are a few examples of what the editor can be used for:
For notes. Notepad++ supports markup languages used for technical notes and documentation, such as Markdown or LaTeX. It understands their syntax and highlights everything according to the rules. Therefore, it's convenient for a technical specialist accustomed to describing everything using special languages to write notes with this tool.
For textual content. Notepad++ is also a text editor, which means you can write various texts in it. Unlike the regular "Notepad", it supports tabs: the user can open multiple texts in different tabs simultaneously. Notepad++ has Markdown support enabled by default - markup that allows you to modify text. You can create headers and lists, make text passages bold or italic - all basic features are available.
For coding. The reason why programmers use this editor is that you can write code in it. It supports and recognizes many programming languages, from popular to very rare ones. Moreover, Notepad++ is flexible and has many features convenient for developers. It essentially replicates some of the functionality of professional IDEs or code editors, but requires little memory.
Notepad++ Capabilities
Notepad++ has the same capabilities as a regular text editor. You can write and edit texts in it, save them in various formats, conduct search and replace operations - this distinguishes it from "Notepad", where such functionality is not available. But besides that, Notepad++ has a number of features that make it convenient for programmers.
Abundance of formats and encodings. Notepad++ supports a huge number of formats in which files can be saved. These are not only text formats, but also those in which code in different languages is saved. Notepad++ by default supports several dozen formats for different technologies.
In addition, Notepad++ by default supports the most popular encodings. Characters are encoded differently in different systems. If you copy text in one encoding into an editor or browser that supports another, you will get an unreadable set of characters. Notepad++ allows you to switch between encodings to work with different content. For some encodings, translation from one to another is available.
Syntax highlighting. This feature makes Notepad++ closer to a code editor than to a text editor. Code editors can highlight certain constructions in the code: this makes it easier to read, it is easier to find the necessary text fragments. This is called syntax highlighting.
Notepad++ has support and syntax highlighting for an impressive number of languages. When writing code, you can choose the syntax you are using from the menu: there are dozens of options, including for rare languages.
Notepad++ will automatically start highlighting and showing constructions for the selected language.
For example, a convenient feature is highlighting opening and closing constructions. It will help not to make mistakes about where one or another code block ends.
By the way, this site is entirely created in Notepad++.
Auto-completion. Automatic completion is a feature of many code editors. When a person types a word from a phrase, the editor suggests how to complete it. As completion options, it selects words that have already been used in this file.
For working with texts, this feature is almost meaningless: people have a large vocabulary, and the same word can be in different forms. But in code, syntactic constructions are used strictly in a uniform format and often repeated. Therefore, auto-completion is convenient for writing code. Imagine: it is enough to write the first two letters of a variable that has already been described above, and the editor will suggest completing its name. Just press Enter.
Regular expression support. Regular expressions (regexp) are character expressions that can be used to search for and edit substrings in text. For example, * means "any number of any characters", and ? means "zero characters or one any character".
Regular expressions are actively used in programming when working with text data and code. Notepad++'s built-in search supports not only regular character input, but also regular expressions. With this tool, you can quickly edit large volumes of text - for example, replace all uppercase letters with lowercase or insert a new argument into a function.
Running code. Unlike IDEs, Notepad++ cannot run code and display its results in the console. Such capabilities can be added with extensions, but they will still be quite limited. However, the ability to run code in the editor is present.
In the "Run" tab, there is an option to open the written code using the compiler or interpreter installed on the computer. You will need to select the path to the compiler - Notepad++ will pass the code to it, and the rest will be done by the compiler itself.
JavaScript can be run through the browser - it will automatically open and run the written code. This language works in the browser, so it can be run even without installing an interpreter.
Abundance of plugins for various purposes. An important advantage of Notepad++ is its extensibility. The presence of plugins and additional modules is not uncommon for code editors, but it is rare for text editors. Thanks to plugins, the functionality of Notepad++ can be changed almost as desired: there are many of them, they are created for different purposes, and they are freely available.
Here are a few examples of plugins for the editor:
- FTP client, allowing you to connect through Notepad++ to a file server;
- spell checker for spelling check with the ability to load different dictionaries;
- an analyzer that allows you to search for specific patterns in the code;
- a plugin for voice control of the editor;
- a plugin for displaying compiler messages during code compilation and execution.
In reality, there are dozens of add-ons - from narrowly specialized tools to general extensions that make working with Notepad++ easier.
What Notepad++ Cannot Do
Notepad++ is quite limited compared to professional coding tools. It should be considered as an enhanced Notepad rather than a full-fledged IDE. Many things that are present in programming environments are not available in Notepad++. Moreover, it does not replicate the capabilities of word processors like Word or Google Docs either.
Here are a few examples of what Notepad++ cannot do:
Working with proprietary formats. Proprietary formats are formats strictly reserved for a particular commercial product. For example, for Photoshop, it's the PSD format, for Word - DOC and DOCX, and so on. They are required for a specific program, while other software usually supports them only to a limited extent.
Most of the formats in which code is saved are open. They can be used in Notepad++, moreover, they are included in it by default. However, among text formats, there are quite a few proprietary ones, such as RTF or DOCX. It is not possible to save text from this editor in such formats.
Formatting text via a visual editor. When working with regular text editors, the user sees a menu where text formatting can be applied. For example, clicking a button on the top panel to make the text bold, thereby creating a header or inserting an image.
A program with such an interface is called a visual editor or WYSIWYG editor (an abbreviation for What You See Is What You Get). This is convenient if you work with texts, but such capabilities are rarely found in code editors. Notepad++ does not have them either.
However, text can be formatted in it: using Markdown, LaTeX, and other markup languages. But to see it visually, you will need to open it through special programs that process markup in the selected language. There is no immediate ability to see formatted text in Notepad++.
Opening overly large files. The editor was created for intermediate work with code and making edits. Opening large files in it is problematic: you may encounter a built-in limitation on their size. In the x32 version, the maximum file size is 4 GB, but the system reserves 2 GB of this size for processes. This leaves 2 GB, but the actual possible size is even smaller because additional information is passed for each byte of text.
In the x64 version, you can work with larger files, but Notepad++ may slow down when opening and editing them. Therefore, this tool is not suitable for large volumes of data.
Working with Git. Git is a popular version control system that allows you to create saves for each version of the code. They can be branched, rolled back, and merged into one. Programmers actively use the system to create code updates, work in teams, and, if necessary, revert to old versions. This helps avoid critical errors and have previous versions of the software.
Notepad++ does not support Git and cannot integrate with it. This sets it apart from modern IDEs and code editors: they often can control versions directly through their own interface. Instead of commands in the console, you can press a few buttons in editors. Notepad++ cannot do this. To use Git, you will need to open the console and work with the version control system through it.
Running on macOS or Linux. Notepad++ is written in C++ using the standard template library STL and Win32 API. Because of the Win32 API, it exists only for Windows. In other operating systems, you will have to use other editors. This is not very convenient because developers often use Linux or macOS. In theory, you can use emulators or special programs that allow you to run Windows programs on other systems. But this is inconvenient.
Can Notepad++ be used instead of an IDE
In theory, this is possible if you are writing simple programs. Notepad++ is quite primitive compared to advanced development environments and powerful code editors. However, it should be sufficient for simple tasks.
Professional developers mostly use specialized environments for programming, and Notepad++ is needed by them as an auxiliary tool. Web developers may use it as a primary tool, but even they prefer to write markup in code editors.
Nevertheless, it is a lightweight, convenient, and free editor that is great for viewing and editing code - or text files.