The Best Open Source Windows Notepad AlternativesTop Text Editors and other similar apps like Windows Notepad

The best open source alternative to Windows Notepad is Notepad++. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 100 alternatives to Windows Notepad and loads of them is open source so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting open source alternatives to Windows Notepad are Vim, Kate, gedit and Notepad3.

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Windows Notepad alternatives are mainly Text Editors, but if you're looking for Code Editors or IDEs you can filter on that. Other popular filters include Windows + Free. You can also filter by region, for example EU-based alternatives if you prefer software developed in the European Union. These are just examples - use the filter bar below to find more specific alternatives to Windows Notepad.
Windows Notepad iconWindows Notepad
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Fast, lightweight editor bundled with Windows since 1985. Supports plain text, UTF-8, Linux newline, over 100 languages, with improved features.

More about Windows Notepad
More about Windows Notepad
Windows Notepad alternatives page was last updated May 16, 2025
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  1. Notepad++ icon

    Notepad++

     4868 likes
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    Notepad++ is a free, open-source code editor supporting several languages, offering features like syntax highlighting, plugin support, dark mode, portability, privacy, and efficient resource usage, making it highly customizable and suitable for various programming needs.

    227 Notepad++ alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • FR flagFrance
    • European Union flagEU

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • PortableApps.com
    Notepad++ screenshot 1

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight
    2.  Configurable

    Features

    1.  Code Formatting
    2.  Portable
    3.  Tabbed interface
    4.  Search and Replace
    5.  Text formatting
    6.  Extensible by Plugins/Extensions
    7.  Multiple Open Tabs
    8.  Multiple languages
    9.  Color coding
    10.  Support for Javascript
    11.  Built-in themes
    12.  Auto-saving

    Notepad++ VS Windows Notepad

     
    Comments about Notepad++ as an Alternative to Windows Notepad
    Top Positive Comment
    linuxplayer
    Mar 22, 2024
    0

    Good at everything, best text editor for Windows if you don't need a hands on IDE.

    Most Recent Comment
    jmNY68
    Positive •Jul 16, 2024
    0

    I like Notepad++, but it is focused on more of programming. I prefer a simpler UI layout and options.

    Guest
    Positive •Oct 15, 2021
    0

    Yeah it's better than Windows' notepad, feature rich and dark mode support.

    Show more comments
    3 of 5 comments
    Windows Notepad Icon
    Notepad++ icon

    • Almost everyone thinks Notepad++ is a great Windows Notepad alternative.

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

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

    • Notepad++ is Free and Open SourceWindows Notepad is Free and Proprietary
    • Notepad++ is LightweightWindows Notepad is not according to our users
  2. Vim icon

    Vim

     1317 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.

    206 Vim alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • NL flagNetherlands
    • European Union flagEU

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • Haiku
    • AmigaOS
    • OpenSolaris
    • MorphOS
    • Flathub
    • Flatpak
    • Snapcraft
    Vim screenshot 1

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight
    2.  Keyboard focused
    3.  Customizable
    4.  Configurable

    Features

    1.  Extensible by Plugins/Extensions
    2.  Syntax Highlighting
    3.  Hackable
    4.  Well documented
    5.  Modal editor
    6.  Command line interface
    7.  Works Offline
    8.  Support for MarkDown
    9.  No registration required
    10.  Portable
    11.  Batch Editing
    12.  Terminal-based

    Vim VS Windows Notepad

     
  4. Kate icon

    Kate

     295 likes
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    The Kate project develops two main products: KatePart, the advanced editor component which is used in numerous KDE applications requiring a text editing component, and Kate, a MDI text editor application.

    137 Kate alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • DE flagGermany
    • European Union flagEU

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • KDE Plasma
    • Flathub
    • Flatpak
    • Snapcraft
    Kate screenshot 1

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight

    Features

    1.  Native application
    2.  Themes
    3.  Syntax Highlighting
    4.  Built-in terminal emulation
    5.  Editable text color schemes
    6.  Extensible by Plugins/Extensions
    7.  Tabbed interface
    8.  Code Formatting
    9. Git icon  Git Support
    10.  Support for MarkDown
    11.  Spell Checking
    12.  Full-Text Search

    Kate VS Windows Notepad

     
  5. gedit icon

    gedit

     687 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.

    183 gedit alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • US flagUnited States

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Chrome OS
    • BSD
    • GNOME
    • OpenSolaris
    • Flathub
    The Default look under GNOME with Adwaita

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight
    2.  Privacy focused
    3.  Customizable

    Features

    1.  Syntax Highlighting
    2.  Extensible by Plugins/Extensions
    3.  No Tracking
    4.  Autocompletion
    5.  Works Offline
    6.  Spell Checking
    7.  Ad-free
    8.  Support for Unicode

    gedit VS Windows Notepad

     
  6. Notepad3 icon

    Notepad3

     58 likes
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    Notepad3 is a fast and light-weight text editor with syntax highlighting for programming jobs. Auto-completion, Multi-language, Dark mode more.

    205 Notepad3 alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • ZA flagSouth Africa

    Platforms

    • Windows
    Supports RTL languages out of the box.

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight
    2.  Privacy focused
    3.  Support for Themes
    4.  Distraction-free

    Features

    1.  Support for Unicode
    2.  Small-footprint
    3.  Multiple languages
    4.  Search and Replace
    5.  Syntax Highlighting
    6.  Portable
    7.  Support for regular expressions
    8.  No registration required
    9.  Works Offline
    10.  Ad-free
    11.  No Tracking
    12.  Dark Mode

    Notepad3 VS Windows Notepad

     
    Comments about Notepad3 as an Alternative to Windows Notepad
    Most Recent Comment
    Xahkyen
    Positive •Mar 21, 2022
    3

    It's the best alternative that I was looking for: more powerful, while being lightweight, simply to use and full with useful features.

    Noah Sean
    Positive •Feb 29, 2024
    1

    Lightweight, easy to use, and offers syntax highlighting.

    jmNY68
    Positive •Jul 16, 2024
    0

    I tried Notepads and several other alternatives, looking for simple, lightweight app that had more features than Notepad and was less cluttered than Notepad++, as I am just using it to edit .txt files, not programming, markup, HTML or otherwise. This fits fairly well. Thanks, developers.

    Windows Notepad Icon
    Notepad3 icon

    • Almost everyone thinks Notepad3 is a great Windows Notepad alternative.

    • Notepad3 is Free and Open SourceWindows Notepad is Free and Proprietary
    • Notepad3 is Lightweight and Privacy focusedWindows Notepad is not according to our users
  7. GNU nano icon

    GNU nano

     286 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

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • Haiku
    GNU nano screenshot 1

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight

    Features

    1.  Command line interface
    2.  Terminal-based
    3.  Search and Replace
    4.  No Tracking
    5.  Automatic Indentation

    GNU nano VS Windows Notepad

     
    Comments about GNU nano as an Alternative to Windows Notepad
    Guest
    Positive •May 16, 2024
    0

    It works, even on very large text files. Not all these alternatives do work.

    Windows Notepad Icon
    GNU nano icon
    • GNU nano is Free and Open SourceWindows Notepad is Free and Proprietary
    • GNU nano is LightweightWindows Notepad is not according to our users
  9. GNU Emacs icon

    GNU Emacs

     378 likes
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    GNU Emacs is an extensible, customizable text editor—and more. At its core is an interpreter for Emacs Lisp, a dialect of the Lisp programming language with extensions to support text editing. The features of GNU Emacs include:

    166 GNU Emacs alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • US flagUnited States

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android
    • BSD
    • F-Droid
    • Haiku
    • Homebrew
    • Snapcraft
    • Debian
    • MacPorts
    The GNU Emacs Manual calls Emacs the extensible, customizable, self-documenting real-time display editor

    Properties

    1.  Customizable
    2.  Lightweight
    3.  Distraction-free

    Features

    1.  Extensibility
    2.  Extensible by Plugins/Extensions
    3.  Org-mode
    4.  Self-documenting
    5.  Terminal-based
    6.  Syntax Highlighting
    7.  Support for scripting
    8.  Command line interface
    9.  No Tracking
    10.  Works Offline
    11.  Spell Checking
    12.  Ad-free

    GNU Emacs VS Windows Notepad

     

    • GNU Emacs is the most popular Android alternative to Windows Notepad.

    • GNU Emacs is Free and Open SourceWindows Notepad is Free and Proprietary
    • GNU Emacs is CustomizableWindows Notepad is not according to our users
  10. Notepads icon

    Notepads

     42 likes
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    Considering that most text editors are eather too heavy or look too old, the author came up with Notepads, designed to be a modern-looking UWP app.

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Windows
    Notepads screenshot 1

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight
    2.  Distraction-free
    3.  Privacy focused
    4.  Support for Themes

    Features

    1.  Tabbed interface
    2.  Dark Mode
    3.  Ad-free
    4.  Automatic Backup
    5.  Multiple languages
    6.  Themes
    7.  Support for MarkDown
    8.  Spell Checking
    9.  Works Offline
    10.  No registration required
    11.  Full-Text Search

    Notepads VS Windows Notepad

     
    Comments about Notepads as an Alternative to Windows Notepad
    Most Recent Comment
    Guest
    Negative •Jul 30, 2024
    0

    35 MB is not lightweight, its 24 floppys or 18 Gameboy cartridges for a single app for notes

    burakyak
    Positive •Apr 19, 2021
    2

    Windows should just implement this as new notepad...

    Wolf Icefang
    Positive •Dec 17, 2020
    2

    Notepads makes a real attempt to integrate with Windows 10 and work as a modern Notepad app. It installs from the Microsoft Store, it loads almost instantly, and it implements Fluent Design elements. This app made such a good first impression that I've already uninstalled Microsoft's built in Notepad app. It may not be the "best text editor", but it is the best alternative for Windows 10's Notepad.

    Windows Notepad Icon
    Notepads icon

    • Almost everyone thinks Notepads is a great Windows Notepad alternative.

    • Notepads is Free and Open SourceWindows Notepad is Free and Proprietary
    • Notepads is Lightweight and Privacy focusedWindows Notepad is not according to our users
  11. Notepad2 icon

    Notepad2

     291 likes
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    Notepad2 is a fast and light-weight Windows Notepad like text editor with syntax highlighting. Simple as possible, but yet powerful. Has full Unicode support. Can be run out of the box without installation, and does not touch your system's...

    121 Notepad2 alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • DE flagGermany
    • European Union flagEU

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • PortableApps.com
    Notepad2 screenshot 1
    Discontinued

    The program is no longer updated. Last version, 4.2.25, released on October 28, 2012, can be still downloaded from the official website. You can also take a look at this active fork: https://github.com/zufuliu/notepad2

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight
    2.  Distraction-free

    Features

    1.  Works Offline
    2.  Ad-free
    3.  No Tracking
    4.  Portable
    5.  Syntax Highlighting
    6.  No registration required

    Notepad2 VS Windows Notepad

     
    Comments about Notepad2 as an Alternative to Windows Notepad
    Guest
    Positive •Jul 30, 2024
    0

    Does what it should do, while not using much space. So sad it is discontinued... :-(

    Guest
    Positive •Apr 13, 2017
    1

    Just one file, but powerfull.

    Windows Notepad Icon
    Notepad2 icon

    • Most users think Notepad2 is a great Windows Notepad alternative.

    • Notepad2 is Free and Open SourceWindows Notepad is Free and Proprietary
    • Notepad2 is LightweightWindows Notepad is not according to our users
9 of 66 Windows Notepad alternatives