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Download the 8.9.8.1 64-bit installer

Independent product guide

Notepad++ — Free and Open-Source Code Editor

A fast, lightweight source code editor for Windows. Explore syntax highlighting, multiple tabs, powerful search tools, plugins, and more.

Download Notepad++

Downloads the 8.9.8.1 64-bit installer. This site does not host that file.

Illustration of the Notepad++ window on Windows, with syntax-colored C++ in main.cpp, open file tabs, and labels for syntax highlighting, multiple tabs, search, and plugins

Core editing tools

Notepad++ edits text and code on Windows. The sections below cover the built-in tools for everyday work: coloring code by language, folding blocks, viewing several files in tabs or a second view, finding and replacing in the current file or a folder, and using Notepad++'s own regular expressions. Plugins are installed from Plugins Admin. The editor theme and window dark mode are set separately. A macro only repeats editor commands. The Encoding menu interprets file bytes, and the menu language is changed in Localization. Coloring and macros do not compile or run code.

Syntax Highlighting

The editor colors a file from its extension, a shebang, or the Language menu. The user manual lists around 90 built-in languages, including C, C++, Java, Python, JavaScript, HTML, CSS, PHP, SQL, and XML. You can add a user-defined language when a file type is missing. Files over 200 MB skip highlighting by default; that limit is under Settings, Preferences, Performance.

When to use it

Use it when a long source file is hard to scan. The colors do not compile, run, or check the program.

Notepad++ syntax highlighting illustration: colored C++ in main.cpp, with language icons and a language list for C++, Java, Python, JavaScript, HTML, CSS, PHP, SQL, and XML

Code Folding

Fold markers in the left margin collapse a block such as a function or a tag. The View menu also folds or unfolds the whole file. Folding only changes what you see.

When to use it

Use it to hide a finished function while you edit the next one.

Notepad++ code folding illustration: plus and minus markers in the left margin, with class Calculator and int main each collapsed to one line

Multiple Documents

Each open file gets a tab. You can close a tab without closing the program. The View menu can move or clone the current document into a second view so two files sit side by side.

When to use it

Use a second view when you want a header and a source file visible together.

Notepad++ multiple documents illustration: five open tabs for main.cpp, notes.txt, index.html, style.css, and script.js

Search and Replace

Search, Find opens the find dialog (Ctrl+F). Search, Replace opens replace (Ctrl+H). Search, Find in Files looks through a folder. The dialog in your version shows the button labels to use.

When to use it

Use replace when the same string should change in one file, then read the result before you save.

Notepad++ search and replace illustration: the Replace tab changes Notepad++ to Code Editor, with the text shown before and after

Regular Expressions

The find dialog has a Regular expression search mode, next to Normal and Extended. The pattern language is the one Notepad++ implements. A pattern copied from another tool may need changes before it matches.

When to use it

Use it for structured text, such as lines that start with a date, and test on one file first.

Notepad++ regular expression illustration: the find dialog with Regular expression selected, finding Hello and replacing it with Hi, and a list of matching lines

Plugin Manager

Plugins Admin is the built-in installer for plugins that are on the project's plugin list. Open Plugins, then Plugins Admin, tick the checkbox on the Available tab, and choose Install. Clicking only the name shows information and does not select the plugin. The program restarts after an install.

When to use it

Use it to add a tool such as file compare without downloading a random DLL.

Notepad++ plugin manager illustration: the Plugins menu open to Plugins Admin, with the Available list, a checkbox, and an Install button on each row

Customizable Themes

Settings, Style Configurator chooses the editor theme. Settings, Preferences, Dark Mode chooses Dark Mode, Light Mode, or Follow Windows for the application chrome. Turning on dark mode selects your previous dark editor theme. User-defined language colors do not change automatically.

When to use it

Use dark mode for the window, then adjust a language theme if its colors clash.

Notepad++ customizable themes illustration: a light window beside a dark window, with Dark selected in a theme list that also includes Light, Deep Black, and Customized

Macro Recording

The Macro menu can start recording, stop recording, play the recording back, and save the recorded macro. A macro repeats editor commands. It does not become a compiler or a build system.

When to use it

Use a short macro for a text cleanup you repeat, and try it once on a copy of the file.

Notepad++ macro recording illustration: the Macro menu open to start recording, stop recording, playback, and save, with a record dialog naming the macro MyMacro

Encoding Support

The Encoding menu sets how the bytes of a file are interpreted, including UTF-8 and other character sets, and it can convert a file. That menu does not translate the Notepad++ interface.

When to use it

Use it when punctuation looks wrong, or when a file must be saved as UTF-8 for another tool.

Notepad++ encoding support illustration: the Encoding menu with UTF-8 selected, plus UTF-8-BOM, UTF-16, ANSI, character sets, and Convert to UTF-8

Multi-language Interface

The installer can add localization files. Settings, Preferences, General, Localization then switches the menus and dialogs. The file you are editing stays in its own encoding.

When to use it

Use it when you want the menus in Chinese, English, or another language the installer provided.

Notepad++ multi-language interface illustration: a localization list that includes English, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, and Français

File types with syntax colors

Notepad++ can color these common file types, among about 90 built-in languages listed in the user manual.

This is support for editing and syntax highlighting. Notepad++ does not include a compiler or runtime for these languages.

Get Notepad++

This button downloads the 8.9.8.1 64-bit installer. This site does not host the file.

Download the 8.9.8.1 installer

Common questions

Short answers. The FAQ page has the same topics with a few extra cases.

Is Notepad++ free?

Yes. Notepad++ is free of charge. The project distributes it under the GPL-3.0 license, and the official downloads page does not ask you to pay or register.

Is Notepad++ open source?

Yes. Notepad++ is open-source software under GPL-3.0. Don Ho and other contributors develop it. This website is not part of that project.

Does Notepad++ work on Windows 11?

Yes. The project's supported-system list includes Windows 11, along with Windows 10 and Windows 8.1. Windows 7 and Windows 8 can run a current build but are not supported.

Is Notepad++ available for macOS?

No official macOS or Linux build is published on the Notepad++ downloads page. The application is a Windows program. This site does not offer an unofficial port.

How do I install Notepad++?

The download button on this site starts the 8.9.8.1 64-bit installer. For a 32-bit, ARM64, or portable package, open https://notepad-plus-plus.org/downloads/. This site does not host those files.

How do I install plugins?

In Notepad++, open Plugins, then Plugins Admin. On the Available tab, tick the plugin's checkbox and choose Install. Notepad++ restarts afterward. Plugins Admin needs the auto-updater component from the installer.

How do I change the language?

The menu language is separate from file encoding. If the installer included localization files, open Settings, Preferences, General, and choose Localization. File encoding is changed from the Encoding menu.

Read the full FAQ