Mousepad Alternatives for Windows

Mousepad is not available for Windows but there are plenty of alternatives that runs on Windows with similar functionality. The best Windows alternative is Notepad++, which is both free and Open Source. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 50 alternatives to Mousepad and loads of them are available for Windows so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting Windows alternatives to Mousepad are Visual Studio Code, VSCodium, Sublime Text and Vim.

filter to find the best alternatives

Mousepad alternatives are mainly Text Editors but may also be Code Editors or IDEs.  Filter by these or use the filter bar below if you want a narrower list of alternatives or looking for a specific functionality of Mousepad.
Mousepad iconMousepad
  34
  • ...

A simple text editor for the Xfce desktop environment. Mousepad aims to be an easy-to-use and fast editor for quickly editing text files, not a development environment or an editor with a huge bunch of plugins.

More about Mousepad
More about Mousepad
Mousepad alternatives page was last updated Mar 15, 2023
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  1. Notepad++ icon
    Notepad++ icon

    Notepad++

     4831 likes
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    Notepad++ is a free source code editor and Notepad replacement that supports several languages.

    231 Notepad++ alternatives
    Notepad++ screenshot 1

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • PortableApps.com
    Notepad++ screenshot 1
    Notepad++ screenshot 2
    +9
    TextFX plugin menu

    Top Notepad++ Features

    1.  Lightweight
    2.  Code Formatting
    3.  Portable
    4.  Tabbed interface
    5.  Search and Replace
    6.  Text formatting
    7.  Extensible by Plugins/Extensions
    8.  Multiple Open Tabs
    9.  Multiple languages
    10.  Color coding
    11.  Support for Javascript
    12.  Configurable
    Notepad++ iconMousepad Icon

    Notepad++ VS Mousepad

    Is Notepad++ a good alternative to Mousepad?
     
    Comments about Notepad++ as an Alternative to Mousepad
     
    AdinanCenci

    Notepad++ is a professional tool for programmers and developers, Mousepad is a bare bones text editor.

    Negative comment •Aug 14, 2021
    0
    Mousepad Icon
    Notepad++ icon

    • Notepad++ is the most popular Windows alternative to Mousepad.

    • Notepad++ is the most popular Open Source & free alternative to Mousepad.

    • Notepad++ is Free and Open SourceMousepad is also Free and Open Source
  2. Visual Studio Code icon
    Visual Studio Code icon

    Visual Studio Code

     1280 likes
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    Visual Studio Code is a free and extensible code editor for building web, desktop, and mobile applications, using any programming language and framework.

    209 Visual Studio Code alternatives
    Visual Studio Code screenshot 1

    License model

    • Free • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    • Chrome OS
    Visual Studio Code screenshot 1
    Visual Studio Code screenshot 2
    +2
    Visual Studio Code screenshot 3

    Top Visual Studio Code Features

    1.  Extensible by Plugins/Extensions
    2.  Customizable
    3.  Autocompletion
    4.  IDE
    5.  Built-in terminal emulation
    6.  Syntax Highlighting
    7.  Code Completion
    8.  Multiple languages
    9.  Git Support
    10.  GitHub Integration
    11.  Support for Themes
    12.  Dark Mode
    Visual Studio Code iconMousepad Icon

    Visual Studio Code VS Mousepad

    Is Visual Studio Code a good alternative to Mousepad?
     
    Comments about Visual Studio Code as an Alternative to Mousepad
     
    AdinanCenci

    Visual Studio Code is a professional tool for programmers and developers, Mousepad is a bare bones text editor.

    Negative comment •Aug 14, 2021
    1
    Guest

    It's heavy-weight while Mousepad is as lightweight as it can possibly get

    Negative comment •Sep 1, 2019
    0
    Mousepad Icon
    Visual Studio Code icon

    • Visual Studio Code is the most popular Web-based, Mac & Linux alternative to Mousepad.

    • Visual Studio Code is Free and ProprietaryMousepad is Free and Open Source
    • Visual Studio Code is CustomizableMousepad is not according to our users
  4. VSCodium icon
    VSCodium icon

    VSCodium

     318 likes
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    This repository contains a build file to generate FLOSS release binaries of Microsoft's Visual Studio Code - Open Source ("Code - OSS") project, the open source core of the proprietary Visual Studio Code.

    198 VSCodium alternatives
    VSCodium screenshot 1

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Flathub
    • Electron

    Top VSCodium Features

    1.  No Tracking
    2.  Prevent telemetry
    3.  IDE
    4.  Customizable
    5.  Privacy focused
    6.  Extensible by Plugins/Extensions
    7.  Works Offline
    8.  No registration required
    9.  MIT License
    10.  Autocompletion
    11.  Support for Themes
    12.  Git integration
    VSCodium iconMousepad Icon

    VSCodium VS Mousepad

    Is VSCodium a good alternative to Mousepad?
     
    Comments about VSCodium as an Alternative to Mousepad
     
    AdinanCenci

    VSCodium is a professional tool for programmers and developers, Mousepad is a bare bones text editor.

    Negative comment •Aug 14, 2021
    1
    Mousepad Icon
    VSCodium icon
    • VSCodium is Free and Open SourceMousepad is also Free and Open Source
    • VSCodium is Customizable and Privacy focusedMousepad is not according to our users
  5. Sublime Text icon
    Sublime Text icon

    Sublime Text

     1999 likes
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    Powerful editor blending code, markup, and prose editing with enhanced features like multi-tab selection, side-by-side definition viewing, and multiple selection tools for swift code navigation.

    197 Sublime Text alternatives
    Sublime Text screenshot 1

    License model

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    Sublime Text screenshot 1
    Sublime Text screenshot 2
    +1
    Sublime Text screenshot 3

    Top Sublime Text Features

    1.  Lightweight
    2.  Extensible by Plugins/Extensions
    3.  Customizable
    4.  Package Control
    5.  Syntax Highlighting
    6.  IDE
    7.  No Tracking
    8.  Dark Mode
    9.  Support for MarkDown
    10.  Distraction-free
    11.  Works Offline
    12.  Git Support
    Sublime Text iconMousepad Icon

    Sublime Text VS Mousepad

    Is Sublime Text a good alternative to Mousepad?
     

    • Sublime Text is the most popular commercial alternative to Mousepad.

    • Sublime Text is Paid and ProprietaryMousepad is Free and Open Source
    • Sublime Text is CustomizableMousepad is not according to our users
  6. Vim icon
    Vim icon

    Vim

     1304 likes
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    Vim ("Vi IMproved") is an advanced text editor that allows syntax highlighting, word completion and has a huge amount of contributed content. It also has a GUI version called GVim.

    209 Vim alternatives
    Vim screenshot 1

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • Haiku
    • AmigaOS
    • OpenSolaris
    • MorphOS
    • Flathub
    • Flatpak
    • Snapcraft
    GVim with netrw+airlines+ctrlspace+xkb-switch+monokai theme+Source Pro font
    Plugin Gitgutter shows added lines as '+' and altere as '~'.

    Top Vim Features

    1.  Lightweight
    2.  Keyboard focused
    3.  Customizable
    4.  Extensible by Plugins/Extensions
    5.  Syntax Highlighting
    6.  Hackable
    7.  Command line interface
    8.  Works Offline
    9.  Support for MarkDown
    10.  No registration required
    11.  Portable
    12.  Batch Editing
    Vim iconMousepad Icon

    Vim VS Mousepad

    Is Vim a good alternative to Mousepad?
     
    Comments about Vim as an Alternative to Mousepad
     
    Guest

    Mousepad is a GUI text editor; Vim is a command line based editor. Both are great in their own ways but they are used in completely different contexts.

    Negative comment •Nov 11, 2020
    4
    AdinanCenci

    Vim is a professional tool for programmers and developers, Mousepad is a bare bones text editor.

    Negative comment •Aug 14, 2021
    0
    Guest

    An absolutely beautiful-yet-minimalist hotkey-based editing setup, legendary extensibility, and outstanding community support & extensions.

    ...In other words: it's freakin' awesome!!

    Positive comment •Mar 20, 2018
    1
    Mousepad Icon
    Vim icon
    • Vim is Free and Open SourceMousepad is also Free and Open Source
    • Vim is CustomizableMousepad is not according to our users
  7. Geany icon
    Geany icon

    Geany

     556 likes
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    Geany is a powerful, stable and lightweight programmer's text editor that provides tons of useful features without bogging down your workflow.

    147 Geany alternatives
    Geany screenshot 1

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • PortableApps.com
    • Flathub
    • Flatpak
    • Snapcraft
    Geany screenshot 1
    Geany screenshot 2
    +5
    Geany screenshot 3

    Top Geany Features

    1.  Lightweight
    2.  Support for Themes
    3.  Multiplatform
    4.  IDE
    5.  Minimalistic
    6.  Syntax Highlighting
    7.  Extensible by Plugins/Extensions
    8.  Support for LaTeX
    9.  Ad-free
    10.  Distraction-free
    11.  Autocompletion
    12.  Code Formatting
    Geany iconMousepad Icon

    Geany VS Mousepad

    Is Geany a good alternative to Mousepad?
     
    Comments about Geany as an Alternative to Mousepad
     
    Guest

    Notepad is a text editor; Geany is an IDE. Recommending it to someone looking for a text editor is like, you ask me for a butter knife and I hand you a chainsaw.

    Negative comment •Nov 11, 2020
    -1
    Mousepad Icon
    Geany icon

    • Most users think Geany is a great Mousepad alternative.

    • Geany is Free and Open SourceMousepad is also Free and Open Source
    • Geany is MinimalisticMousepad is not according to our users
  9. Zed Editor icon
    Zed Editor icon

    Zed Editor

     46 likes
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    Zed is a blazing fast, multi-user, productivity-focused text editor. From the creators of Atom, Electron and Tree-sitter, the editor features built-in Vim mode with tooltips for key-bindings, language-aware...

    67 Zed Editor alternatives
    Zed Editor screenshot 1

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    Zed Editor screenshot 1
    Zed Editor screenshot 2

    Top Zed Editor Features

    1.  Syntax Highlighting
    2.  Lightweight
    3.  Optimal performance
    4.  IDE
    5.  Dark Mode
    6.  Built-in terminal emulation
    7.  Autocompletion
    8.  Ad-free
    9.  Real time collaboration
    10.  Works Offline
    11.  Support for Themes
    12.  Extensible by Plugins/Extensions
    Zed Editor iconMousepad Icon

    Zed Editor VS Mousepad

    Is Zed Editor a good alternative to Mousepad?
     
  10. gedit icon
    gedit icon

    gedit

     686 likes
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    Official text editor of the GNOME desktop environment. Has syntax highlighting and is suitable for programming, with support for several languages. It is extensible with plugins.

    186 gedit alternatives
    The Default look under GNOME with Adwaita

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Chrome OS
    • BSD
    • GNOME
    • OpenSolaris
    • Flathub
    gedit screenshot 1
    gedit screenshot 2
    +2
    gedit screenshot 3

    Top gedit Features

    1.  Lightweight
    2.  Syntax Highlighting
    3.  Extensible by Plugins/Extensions
    4.  Customizable
    5.  Autocompletion
    6.  No Tracking
    7.  Works Offline
    8.  Ad-free
    9.  Spell Checking
    10.  Privacy focused
    11.  Support for Unicode
    gedit iconMousepad Icon

    gedit VS Mousepad

    Is gedit a good alternative to Mousepad?
     
    Comments about gedit as an Alternative to Mousepad
     
    AdinanCenci

    Both are simple text editors, although gedit have more features

    Positive comment •Aug 14, 2021
    0
    Mousepad Icon
    gedit icon
    • gedit is Free and Open SourceMousepad is also Free and Open Source
    • gedit is Privacy focusedMousepad is not according to our users
  11. GNU nano icon
    GNU nano icon

    GNU nano

     283 likes
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    GNU nano is a small and friendly text editor. Besides basic text editing, nano offers many extra features like an interactive search and replace, go to line and column number, auto-indentation, feature toggles, internationalization support, and filename tab completion.

    142 GNU nano alternatives
    GNU nano screenshot 1

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • Haiku
    GNU nano screenshot 1
    Color syntax
    +1
    GNU nano screenshot 3

    GNU nano Features

    1.  Command line interface
    2.  Terminal-based
    3.  Search and Replace
    4.  Lightweight
    5.  Automatic Indentation
    GNU nano iconMousepad Icon

    GNU nano VS Mousepad

    Is GNU nano a good alternative to Mousepad?
     
    Comments about GNU nano as an Alternative to Mousepad
     
    Guest

    Notepad is GUI based, Nano is terminal based. I love Nano and use it lots but apples and oranges.

    Negative comment •Nov 11, 2020
    2
    Mousepad Icon
    GNU nano icon
    • GNU nano is Free and Open SourceMousepad is also Free and Open Source
  12. CudaText icon
    CudaText icon

    CudaText

     49 likes
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    CudaText is a cross-platform text editor, written in Lazarus / Free Pascal.

    193 CudaText alternatives
    Multi-selections, Replace dialog at bottom

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • Flathub
    Dark theme, Minimap
    2 groups shown, picture file opened, JavaScript fragment in HTML
    +3
    Code Tree for Pascal lexer

    Top CudaText Features

    1.  Lightweight
    2.  Extensible by Plugins/Extensions
    3.  Native application
    4.  Customizable
    5.  Minimap
    6.  Command palette
    7.  Autocompletion
    8.  Syntax Highlighting
    9.  Support for Themes
    10.  Ad-free
    11.  No registration required
    12.  Portable
    CudaText iconMousepad Icon

    CudaText VS Mousepad

    Is CudaText a good alternative to Mousepad?
     
10 of 53 Mousepad alternatives