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Notepad++ is a free source code editor (and Notepad replacement) for Microsoft Windows environment. Based on the powerful editing component Scintilla, Notepad++ is written in C++ and uses pure Win32 API and STL which ensures a higher execution speed and smaller program size. The project’s name comes from the C increment operator.

Notepad++ features syntax highlighting, code folding and limited autocompletion for programming, scripting, and markup languages, but not intelligent code completion or syntax checking. As such, it may properly highlight code written in a supported schema, but whether that code is a working masterpiece or pure junk is not verifiable. It also supports tabbed editing, which allows working with multiple open files in a single window.

Notepad++ natively supports the following programming languages: ASP, Ada, ASCII art, Assembly, AutoIt, BAT, C, C#, C++, Caml, CSS, doxygen, FORTRAN, HTML, Haskell, Java, javascript, KiXtart, Lisp, Lua, makefile, Matlab, Objective-C, Pascal, Perl, PHP, PostScript, Python, Ruby, Scheme, Unix Shell Script, Smalltalk, SQL, Tcl, TeX, Verilog, VHDL, VB/VBScript, XML.

Notepad++ was developed by Don Ho in September 2003. The developer used JEXT (a Java-based text editor) at his company but, dissatisfied with its poor performance, he began to develop a text editor written in C++ with Scintilla. He developed it in his spare time since the idea was rejected by his company. Notepad++ was built as a Microsoft Windows application; the author considered, but rejected, using wxWidgets to port it to the Mac OS X and Unix platforms.

Notepad++ has support for macros and plugins, and has been marked for its robust plugin architecture which enabled various new features to be integrated into the program. Currently, over 140 compatible plugins have been developed for Notepad++, 10 of which are included by default in the program. The first plugin to be included in the program was “TextFX”, which includes W3C validation for HTML and CSS, text sorting, character case alteration and quote handling.

Key Features

  • Clean and simple interface
  • Low on system resources
  • Syntax Highlighting and Syntax Folding
  • Regular Expression Search/Replace supported
  • Automatic backup of unsaved files
  • Full Drag ‘N’ Drop supported
  • Macro recording and playback
  • Multi-Language environment supported
  • Dynamic position of Views
  • Auto-completion
  • WYSIWYG
  • Multi-Document
  • Multi-View

Last Update: May 06, 2025

Current Version: 8.8.1

License: Open Source

Languages: Multiple Languages

Supported Operating Systems:
Windows 2000 / XP / Vista / 7 / 8 / 8.1 / 10 (32-Bit, 64-Bit)

Developer: Don Ho

Homepage: Notepad-Plus-Plus.org

Disclaimer: The direct download links we offer for this software are sourced from the official website of the author or developer, guaranteeing they are 100% original and unaltered. However, because the links are external, we cannot guarantee their safety, availability, or download speeds. We will research and find various download options for your software, including online installers, full offline installers (usually 'exe' or 'msi', 'dmg', and occasionally 'iso' or torrent), and portable editions (commonly 'zip' or 'rar'). We wish to clearly express our firm opposition to piracy. We maintain a strict zero-tolerance policy against piracy and will neither offer nor share any pirated or illegal versions or tools. We strongly advise against using such methods, as they can damage your devices. We highly encourage you, if you value this software, to invest in a legitimate license. Doing so not only guarantees your safety but also supports the developers, resulting in improved software quality.