Notepad++ finally comes to Mac with a native app and plugin support after 23 years

A new Notepad++ fork for Mac has been released, bringing the long-running Windows code editor to macOS as a native app built from the original codebase, making it accessible to apple users without emulation or compatibility layers after more than two decades as a Windows mainstay. The Mac release is an open-source, unofficial community port, available for free under the GNU General Public License. Users don't need Wine, Porting Kit, CrossOver, or Rosetta translation, as the app delivers a true standalone experience.

The app supports both Apple silicon and Intel Macs as a universal binary, with native ARM64 support for M1, M2, M3, M4, and M5 devices, so it doesn't require Rosetta translation. Its interface uses native Cocoa APIs for menus, dialogs, file pickers, keyboard shortcuts, and windowing, with maintainer Andrey Letov replacing the original Win32 front end using Objective-C++.

Core features remain close to the Windows version, including the Scintilla engine, tabbed editing, syntax highlighting for more than 80 languages, search and replace, macro recording, and plugin support. Plugin Admin is included, with a growing list of macOS-compatible plugins, and the app is available from the Notepad++ for Mac website with no ads or any kind of hidden costs.