Windows Notepad Alternatives

Windows Notepad is described as 'Fast, lightweight editor bundled with Windows since 1985. Supports plain text, UTF-8, Linux newline, over 100 languages, with improved features' and is a very popular Text Editor in the os & utilities category. There are more than 100 alternatives to Windows Notepad for a variety of platforms, including Windows, Mac, Linux, BSD and Flathub apps. The best Windows Notepad alternative is Notepad++, which is both free and Open Source. Other great apps like Windows Notepad are Sublime Text, Vim, Kate and gedit.

filter to find the best alternatives

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. Jota Text Editor icon

    Jota Text Editor

     19 likes
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    Jota, pronouced as "i-o-ta", is a text editor designed for a long text file.

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application type

    Country of Origin

    • JP flagJapan

    Platforms

    • Android
    Jota Text Editor screenshot 1
    Discontinued

    Last update was 2018-07-29

    Jota Text Editor Features

    1.  No registration required
    2.  Text to Speech
    3.  Syntax Highlighting
    4.  Spell Checking
    5.  Word counter

    Jota Text Editor VS Windows Notepad

     
  2. Plain Text icon

    Plain Text

     2 likes
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    Simple text editor, and text utils (powered by AI).

    License model

    • Free • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Online
    • Web Browser
    • WebApps
    Rewrite text with AI

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight

    Features

    1.  Spell Checking
    2.  Works Offline
    3.  No registration required
    4.  No Coding Required
    5.  Text to Speech
    6.  Word counter
    7.  Simple text editor
    8.  AI-Powered
    9.  Text formatting
    10.  URL Forwarding
    11.  Grammar tool
    12.  Progressive Web App

    Plain Text VS Windows Notepad

     
  4. Appy Text icon

    Appy Text

     1 like
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    Appy Text is a super fast + lightweight text editor. Immersive too - more content, less chrome. If you're a Notepad user but have been looking for a charmingly simple, modern and free alternative then look no further. Made (carefully) for PC, tablet and phone.

    License model

    • Freemium • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Windows Phone
    Appy Text screenshot 1

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight
    2.  Minimalistic

    Features

    1.  Support for MarkDown
    2.  Dark Mode
    3.  Distraction-free Writing
    4.  Tabbed interface
    5.  Tablet support
    6.  Auto-saving

    Appy Text VS Windows Notepad

     
  5. NFOPad icon

    NFOPad

     21 likes
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    NFOPad is a small, fast and flexible combined text editor and nfo viewer. It is a clone of Microsoft's Notepad but much more customizable and with some additional features. NFOPad fully supports Unicode as well as nfo files with ASCII art.

    License model

    • Free • Proprietary

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • SE flagSweden
    • European Union flagEU

    Platforms

    • Windows
    NFOPad screenshot 1

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight

    Features

    1.  Portable
    2.  Colored Text
    3.  Context Menu extension
    4.  Simple text editor

    NFOPad VS Windows Notepad

     
    Comments about NFOPad as an Alternative to Windows Notepad
    Guest
    Positive Mar 13, 2016
    0

    Looks the same and just as fast.

    Windows Notepad Icon
    NFOPad icon
    • NFOPad is Free and ProprietaryWindows Notepad is also Free and Proprietary
    • NFOPad is LightweightWindows Notepad is not according to our users
  6. BowPad icon

    BowPad

     10 likes
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    BowPad is a small and fast text editor with a ribbon user interface and syntax highlighting.

    103 BowPad alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application type

    Country of Origin

    • CH flagSwitzerland

    Platforms

    • Windows
    BowPad screenshot 1

    BowPad Features

    1.  Syntax Highlighting
    2.  Ribbon Interface

    BowPad VS Windows Notepad

     
  7. TextEdit icon

    TextEdit

     30 likes
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    When you need to create text documents, TextEdit is a highly versatile word processor, including tools to format and layout your page, edit and stylize text, check spelling, create tables and lists, import graphics, work with HTML, and even add music and movie files.

    99 TextEdit alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Proprietary

    Application type

    Country of Origin

    • US flagUnited States

    Platforms

    • Mac
    TextEdit main interface (Updated) (Noticed I used the same text thing as the other one?)

    TextEdit Features

    1.  Graphical User Interface
    2.  Plain text file
    3.  Rich text editing

    TextEdit VS Windows Notepad

     
  9. TextPad icon

    TextPad

     58 likes
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    TextPad is designed to provide the power and functionality to satisfy the most demanding text editing requirements. It can edit files up to the limits of virtual memory, and it will work with the 32-bit and 64-bit editions of Windows 7, Vista, XP, 2000, Server 2003 and 2008.

    125 TextPad alternatives

    License model

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • GB flagUnited Kingdom

    Platforms

    • Windows
    Running in Vista

    TextPad Features

    1.  Search and Replace

    TextPad VS Windows Notepad

     
  10. Tilde icon

    Tilde

     3 likes
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    Tilde is a text editor for the console/terminal, which provides an intuitive interface for people accustomed to GUI environments such as Gnome, KDE and Windows. Example: copy current selection is Control-C; paste previously copied text is Control-V.

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • NL flagNetherlands
    • European Union flagEU

    Platforms

    • Linux
    Tilde screenshot 1

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight

    Features

    1.  Autocompletion
    2.  Full-Text Search
    3.  Syntax Highlighting
    4.  Terminal-based

    Tilde VS Windows Notepad

     
  11. Byword icon

    Byword

     52 likes
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    Byword is designed to make writing more enjoyable with Markdown on your Mac, iPhone and iPad.

    License model

    Application type

    Country of Origin

    • PT flagPortugal
    • European Union flagEU

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • iPhone
    • iPad
    Byword screenshot 1

    Byword Features

    1.  Support for MarkDown
    2.  Works Offline
    3.  Distraction-free Writing
    4. Dropbox icon  Dropbox integration
    5.  Synchronization

    Byword VS Windows Notepad

     

    • Byword is the most popular iPhone & iPad alternative to Windows Notepad.

    • Byword is Paid and ProprietaryWindows Notepad is Free and Proprietary
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