Notepad++
Don Ho
Notepad++ is a free, open-source code editor designed as a powerful replacement for Notepad on Microsoft Windows. Built on the robust Scintilla editing component, it supports a wide array of programming languages, offering features like syntax highlighting and folding. Users can also define their own languages for custom syntax highlighting and folding.
This versatile editor allows for simultaneous editing of multiple documents and even synchronized editing of the same document in two different views. Notepad++ boasts full drag-and-drop support and is developed in C++ using pure Win32 API and STL, ensuring high execution speed and a small program size. It is distributed under the GPL Licence.
In This Post
Why It Stands Out
Enable Multi-Editing for Faster Changes
- Hold down the Alt key.
- Click and drag your mouse vertically or horizontally to create multiple cursors.
- Type or delete text, and the changes will apply simultaneously at all cursor locations.
Why: This feature significantly speeds up repetitive editing tasks, allowing you to modify multiple lines or columns of text at once, which is invaluable for refactoring code or reformatting data.
Customize Your Interface with Themes
- Go to Settings > Style Configurator.
- From the Select theme dropdown, choose a theme that suits your preference (e.g., Dark Mode).
- You can also adjust individual element colors, font styles, and sizes for further personalization.
Why: Personalizing the interface, especially by enabling a dark theme, can reduce eye strain during long coding sessions and improve overall readability and comfort.
Utilize Regular Expressions for Advanced Search and Replace
- Press Ctrl + H to open the Replace dialog (or Ctrl + F for Find).
- In the Search Mode section, select Regular expression.
- Enter your regex pattern in the Find what field and your replacement pattern in the Replace with field.
- Click Replace or Replace All to execute the operation.
Why: Regular expressions unlock powerful pattern-based searching and replacing, allowing you to perform complex text transformations that go far beyond simple word matching, making data manipulation and code refactoring highly efficient.
Download Notepad++
File size: 6.42 MB
OS support: Windows
Windows
Download Notepad++ 8.9.4 for Windows – x86
Download Notepad++ 8.9.4 for Windows – x64
Download Notepad++ 8.9.4 Minimalist for Windows – Portable
Download Notepad++ 8.9.4 Minimalist for Windows – x64 Portable
Download Notepad++ 8.9.4 for Windows – Portable
System Requirements
Minimum
- OS: Windows 7, 8, 8.1, 10, 11 (32-bit, 64-bit)
Technical Specifications
| Software Name | Notepad++ |
|---|---|
| Version | 8.9.4 |
| License | GPL Licence |
| File Size | 6.42 MB |
| OS Support | Windows |
| Language | Multi-language (supports 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, and many more) |
| Developer | Don Ho |
| Homepage | https://notepad-plus-plus.org/ |
| Changelogurl | https://notepad-plus-plus.org/news/ |
| Last Updated | April 27, 2026 |
Important Features
- Syntax Highlighting and Folding: Visually distinguishes code elements with color-coding and allows collapsing sections of code for better readability and easier navigation.
- WYSIWYG Editing: Provides a What You See Is What You Get environment, ensuring that the edited content appears on screen as it will be printed or displayed.
- User Defined Syntax Highlighting: Enables users to customize syntax highlighting rules for unsupported programming languages or to create their own language definitions for specific needs.
- Auto-completion: Offers basic auto-completion for commonly used functions, keywords, and variables, which helps to speed up coding and reduce typing errors.
- Multi-Document and Multi-View: Allows users to open and work with multiple files simultaneously using a tabbed interface, and even edit the same document in two synchronized views for comparison or parallel work.
- Regular Expression Search/Replace: Supports powerful search and replace operations using regular expressions, enabling complex pattern-based text manipulation across single or multiple files.
- Full Drag ‘n’ Drop Support: Facilitates easy movement of text selections and files within the editor, as well as dragging and dropping files from external sources to open them quickly.
- Macro Recording and Playback: Automates repetitive tasks by allowing users to record a sequence of actions and then play them back, saving time and increasing efficiency.
Installation Steps
Installation Steps
- Click the download button above to get the installer for your operating system.
- Locate the downloaded file (e.g., npp.8.9.4.Installer.x64.exe) and double-click to run the installer.
- Follow the on-screen installation wizard, accepting the license agreement and choosing your preferred installation options, to complete the setup.
Compatibility: Compatible with Windows 7 and later versions.
Problem Solving
- Issue: Installation fails or requires elevated permissions → Solution: Right-click the installer and select “Run as administrator”.
Questions & Answers
Is Notepad++ free to use?
Yes, Notepad++ is free and open-source software, distributed under the GNU General Public License (GPL) 3.0 or later, meaning anyone can download, use, and distribute it without cost.
What operating systems does Notepad++ support?
Notepad++ is primarily a Microsoft Windows application. It officially supports Windows 7, 8, 8.1, 10, and 11 for both 32-bit and 64-bit architectures.
Is Notepad++ safe to download and install?
Yes, Notepad++ is widely considered safe. It is an open-source project with a strong community, and official downloads are available from its homepage and trusted repositories like GitHub.
What programming languages does Notepad++ support?
Notepad++ supports a wide array of programming, scripting, and markup languages, including ASP, C, C#, C++, HTML, Java, JavaScript, PHP, Python, Ruby, SQL, XML, and many others, offering syntax highlighting and code folding for these languages.
Can I use Notepad++ for tasks other than coding?
Absolutely. While popular among developers, Notepad++ is also a versatile text editor useful for general note-taking, editing configuration files, log analysis, and advanced text manipulation tasks like removing duplicates or reformatting data.
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