Top 5 Windows Notepad Alternative

Notepad, as you know, is a simple tool that contains basic text editing functions and is probably the most popular application that ships with every version of Windows. Many users set it as the default editor for text files because it’s simple and fast.

However, some of us may find Notepad to be limited in functionality and need a better text editor.

Fortunately, there are several free and feature-rich Notepad alternatives available for you to choose from. In this article, I’ll talk about 5 of them. Check them out.

1. Notepad++

Notepad++ is a free source code editor that’s extremely rich in functions. Its main features are Syntax Highlighting and Syntax Folding, User Language Define System, Regular Expression Search, WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get), Unicode support, Full drag-and-drop supported, Brace and Indent guideline Highlighting, 2 edits and synchronized view of the same document and User Language Define System.

Notepad++ can run under all versions of Windows. The tool is immensely popular with coders and designers who prefer to stay away from advanced tools like Dreamweaver for basic code editing needs.

2. EditPad Lite

EditPad Lite is another multi-tab text editor that’s free for personal use and is a worthy Notepad alternative.

Compared to Notepad++ introduced above, EditPad Lite has a friendlier interface, though some advanced functions are missing. They do have a pro version with more features.

3. Notepad2

Notepad2 is a fast and light-weight text editor with syntax highlighting. It is a portable tool and can be run without installation. You could carry it in a thumb drive and use it as your default text editor on any computer.

The program looks similar to Windows Notepad, however, when you click on the menus, you will find a lot of differences in terms of options.

4. TED Notepad

TED Notepad is another Notepad alternative for you. Just like the above utilities, the program has a Notepad-like interface to help you get started quickly.

TED Notepad also provides a portable version; the program itself has a size of 120k and has several cool features that are unknown to Notepad.

5. AkelPad

While all the tools above have advanced functions, AkelPad is a simple open source editor for plain text. It is designed to be a small and fast replacement for Notepad.

You can add some more functions by installing the plugins available for this tool.

So, have you tried using any other text editor other than Notepad?  If yes, tell us about your experience of using it.