JEdit is our final standalone alternative to Notepad for Mac. It calls itself a ‘mature programmer's text editor' whatever that means. Despite that, the Java app works across OS, supports macros, languages, plugins, folding, code, word wrap, clipboard history, markers and lots more besides. Alternatives to Notepad for Windows, Mac, Linux, BSD, Web and more. Filter by license to discover only free or Open Source alternatives. This list contains a total of 25+ apps similar to Notepad. List updated: 11/6/2020 2:51:00 PM. Here we will discuss some best alternative to NotepadMac that have the same features which you enjoy on Windows. It also works for iOS, iPhones, and iPads. Let's go through the list of alternatives of Notepad and choose any of them whatever you like. Best Alternatives for Notepad on Mac. For a while, you could only use this free Notepad alternative for the Mac but now there are versions available for Windows and Linux. The developers at GitHub created Atom and they have used their experience of regularly managing code to create this awesome text editor for other programmers.
Best Alternative to Notepad++ for Mac: Notepad++ is a source code editor developed for Windows. It supports multiple languages and runs very smoothly on any computer. Notepad++ is the best program for web developers, but it has some limitations. The problem is that it works only on Microsoft Windows Operating System.
If you have Linux, Ubuntu or Mac, the Notepad++ will not work on your computer. In such case, you need to find an alternative to Notepad++ for Mac. When a web author leaves a Windows PC and buys new Mac, the first problem arises as Notepad++ does not work on Mac. Here we will help you find best alternative to Notepad++ for Mac.
Contents
- 2 Use of Notepad++
- 3 Best Alternative to Notepad++ for Mac
What is Notepad++?
Notepad++ is a text editor and source code editor program. It was developed and firstly released in September 2003 by Don Ho. The Notepad++ is written in C++ language with Scintilla.
Use of Notepad++
Notepad++ is a very useful program for a website developer. You can write/edit your coding assignments and web projects with Notepad++ program. Notepad++ has variety of features which are mentioned as follows:
- Document Map
- Bookmark
- Multi-Document (Tab Interface)
- Multi-View
- WYSIWYG (Printing)
- Zoom In and Zoom Out
- Multi-Language Environment Supported
- Macro Recording and Playback
- Launch with Different Arguments
- Syntax Highlighting and Syntax Folding
- User Defined Syntax Highlighting and Folding
- PCRE (Perl Compatible Regular Expression) Search & Replace
- Auto Completion: Word Completion, Function Completion and Function Parameters Hint.
- GUI Entirely Customizable: Minimalist, Tab with Close button, Multi-line Tab, Vertical Tab and Vertical Document List.
Why is Notepad++ Not Available for Mac?
Notepad++ is so efficient program that the developers are addicted to use it. When a Notepad++ user changes his laptop/computer from Windows to Mac, the journey of searching alternative begins. Because the Notepad++ is developed only for Microsoft Windows Operating System. It does not work on Linux, Ubuntu, Mac or any other OS of the world.
One question often arises in the user's mind i.e. why is Notepad++ not available for Mac? The answer is simple, the Notepad++ developer has made it compatible for Windows only and not other operating system. Moreover, Notepad++ works on Win32 API i.e. Windows Application Programming Interface. Various components of Win32 API are provided in Notepad++. Mac OS does not have any such API and therefore Notepad++ does not work on Mac.
Best Alternative to Notepad++ for Mac
We have seen Notepad++ Program, its features and importance. We know that the Notepad++ is available for Windows OS only. Now, our next move is to find its best alternative for Mac. Notepad++ is the best source code editor for web developers. So which is the best alternative to Notepad++ for Mac OS?
Mac has its default program TextEdit just as Notepad in Windows. But the TextEdit is not convenient for source code editing and therefore it cannot replace Notepad++. In order to find the best alternative to Notepad++ for Mac, we used so many Source Code Editor Apps on Mac Computer.
As a result, we found that there are various apps for Mac which are as good as Notepad++. So you don't need to worry, just check our list of best alternatives to Notepad++ for Mac to find your suitable text and source code editor.
01. Atom
Atom is an open source text and source code editor developed by Github Team. Atom is the perfect replacement app to Notepad++ for Mac. Because the Atom App comes with lots of customization options. You can add or change anything to Atom as per your requirement. The Github Team has developed Atom App for Microsoft Windows, Linux and Mac OS. Atom is written in Coffee Script, Java Script, LESS, HTML and Electron.
Atom App supports various third party packages. You can install such package to change its looks and add some features. A variety of themes are available for Atom to make it look as you want. Atom App was initially released in February 2014. Its latest version is 1.34 for all operating systems. Atom has so many extending packages, therefore it is popularly known as a hackable text editor for the 21st century.
Download from Official Website: Atom Install office for mac with product key.
02. Sublime Text 3
Sublime Text is a source code editor with Python API. Jon Skinner and Will Bond have developed Sublime Text in C++ and Python. The Sublime Text is made for various operating systems i.e. Windows, Mac and Linux. You must have a MacBook or Mac Computer with OS X 10.7 or later to use Sublime Text. It supports multiple programming languages as well as markup languages.
Goto Anything is an amazing feature of Sublime Text App. You can use Goto Anything feature to instantly jump to any symbol, word or line. You need to type part of a file name to open it. Type @ to jump to symbols, type # to search within the file and type : to go to a line number. Sublime Text offers a free trial version, current version is Sublime Text 3. You should try using it on your Mac and then buy it for $80 if it meets all your work requirements.
Download from Official Website: Sublime Text
03. Brackets
Brackets is also a free source code editor. It is a modern text editor with focused visual tools and preprocessor support. Brackets is a cross platform app written in CSS, HTML and Java Script. Brackets is a lightweight still powerful source code editor. It is developed by Adobe Systems for Mac OS, Microsoft Windows and Linux. Brackets is currently available in 38 different languages.
Brackets provides Inline Editors and Live Preview. The most amazing thing about Brackets is that it allows to edit live HTML, Java Script and CSS. With help of Brackets, you can quick edit and live highlight your LESS and SCSS files. You can edit a live web page in your browser and see the real time preview. Brackets also supports extension packages such as Beautify, Autoprefixer, Emmet, Minifier, ToDo, Swatcher and many others.
Download from Official Website: Brackets
04. Visual Studio Code
Visual Studio Code is a wonderful app developed by Microsoft. This source code editor can be customized by changing themes, preferences and keyboard shortcuts. Visual Studio Code is an open source and free source code editor based on Electron Framework. Microsoft Corporation has created Visual Studio Code App for Windows, Linux and Mac Operating System.
Visual Studio Code Editor is available in US English, Chinese, French, German, Portuguese and many other languages. The app requires very small space on your computer hard disk, but it works great. With help of Visual Studio Code, you can change code page and programming language of the active document. It also features IntelliSense, Debugging, Built-in Git and various extension plug-ins.
Download from Official Website: Visual Studio Code
05. Komodo Edit
Komodo Edit is a light version of Komodo IDE (Integrated Development Environment). Komodo Edit is developed by the ActiveState Software Company. It is a text editor developed for Windows, Mac, Linux, CentOS, Fedora, OpenSUSE and Ubuntu. You can download and use the Komodo Edit App on your computer at free of cost. It is licensed under Mozilla Public License 1.1, General Public License and GNU Lesser Public License.
Komodo Edit App is written in C, C++, Perl, Java Script, Python, TcI and XUL. Komodo Edit is a free multi language editor with a toolbox and minimap. It also features Auto-Complete & Calltips, Multiple Selections, Projects & Places Manager, Skins & Icon Sets, Track Changes, Commando and Kopy.io Integration. If you need more features then you have to buy Komodo IDE App for your Mac System.
Download from Website: Komodo Edit
06. CodeRunner 3
CodeRunner is a lightweight multi-language programming editor. It is an easy to use text editor at an affordable price. The CodeRunner App provides powerful IDE-level code completion for most languages. It is developed by Nikolai Krill for Mac Operating System. It can also run multi-file projects without any manual setup. Code Runner comes with 25 languages, you can add more languages as per your requirement.
CodeRunner App has variety of features like fuzzy-search, tab-selectable placeholders and documentation snippets. It is the perfect tool to write, run and debug code in any programming language. With help of CodeRunner, you can set breakpoints and step through your code instantly. The latest version is CodeRunner 3 with 230 syntax highlighting modes and many new features & improvements. CodeRunner App is available to buy at a price of $14.99 at Mac App Store.
07. UltraEdit
UltraEdit App is a cross-platform text editor for web developers. Whether you have Windows, Linux or Mac OS, UltraEdit App is available for you. It was firstly released in 1994 by IDM Computer Solutions, Inc. for Windows Computers. It is a very lightweight text editor, it takes only 100 MB space on your Mac's hard drive. UltraEdit is one of the oldest text editors that does everything you expect while writing and editing codes.
UltraEdit App is a little expensive, it comes at the price of $99.95. With one license app, you can use UltraEdit in three computers. It is capable to open and edit large files of 4 GB and more. The UltraEdit also features Multi-caret Editing, Column Mode Editing, Find & Replace, Inverse Search, Beautify & Reformat Source Code and File & Data Sorting. The developers are so confident about UltraEdit that they offer 30 day money back guarantee. If you are not satisfied with UltraEdit within 30 days of buying it, the company will refund your full money.
08. BBEdit 12
BBEdit is a text editor and source code editor created by Bare Bones Software. It is written in C Language and developed especially for Mac Operating System. In 1992, the first version was released for free as Bare Bones Text Editor. Now, BBEdit 12 comes with 30 days trial period. You need to decide within 30 days whether you want to buy it for $49.99. The BBEdit App is designed to fulfill the needs of writers, web authors and software developers.
By using BBEdit App on Mac, you have total control over text and work in your own way. The BBEdit 12 comes with lots of features and a complete set of robust HTML markup tools. It has best features such as grep pattern matching, search & replace across multiple files and project definition tools. You can also do code folding as well as open and save FTP, SFTP Files in BBEdit App.
Download from Official Website: BBEdit
How to Choose a Suitable Text/Code Editor for Mac
There are many text editors developed for Mac. Most text and code editors come with some common features. But some text code editors offer advanced editing features for free or at reasonable price. Web and software developers are the end users of such apps. If you want to know which Source Code Editor is suitable for you then you should go through below instructions.
- First of all, you should check basic features of each text editor in the list. Thereafter, shortlist five apps which offer all features you want in a source code editor.
- Download all five apps one by one on your Mac System. Use the apps for your one web project and see which one is most suitable for your work.
- After trying several text editor apps, you need to choose the one app and buy its license at its given price. If the text editor app is free then you don't need to pay anything, just enjoy your work.
- If you want to use the text/code editor for a team or business enterprise, you need to buy that package. The developers provide more advanced features in commercial text editor than individual version.
Can I Use Notepad++ on Mac?
There are many best alternatives to Notepad++ for Mac. But some users are addicted to Notepad++ Program. Therefore, they often ask this question, can I use Notepad++ by anyway on Mac? The answer is Yes. You can use Notepad++ on Mac OS with help of a third party software such as Wine or VMWare.
In order to run Notepad++ on your Mac Computer, you have to install one of the above apps first. You will also need Windows OS Setup. You should see full tutorial to understand the procedure. Some users find this technique typical and difficult. Therefore we recommend that you should find best alternative to Notepad++ and use it on your Mac.
Final Words:
All the information mentioned above about Best Alternative to Notepad++ for Mac is true and fair. You can download your desired text/code editor app from Mac App Store or app's official website. For more queries about Alternative to Notepad++ for Mac OS, kindly contact Apple Helpline Number at at 1-800-MY-APPLE (800-692-7753) or visit Apple Support Website at support.apple.com.
I‘ve used Notepad++ for a long time and it's a really great tool. It can do so much more than the standard version of Notepad that comes with your Windows operating system. I found it very useful when I was learning HTML and PHP code for web application and development. And I'm not the only one – many coders swear by the application.
Notepad++ now comes with Windows 10 as standard and one of the best things about it is that it will highlight code syntax. You can use Notepad++ for code or syntax folding as well. The application has a very useful search and replaces feature and there is an auto-complete facility where is complete words and functions and also provide function parameter hints.
Notepad++ has a tab facility which is great for opening up several different files. There is also a multi-view facility as well as zooming in and out. You can create macros in Notepad++ and the printing is WYSIWYG. It offers so much for free but there are alternatives available.
I wanted to find these Notepad++ alternatives and bring you a list of the best ones. So I went on an expedition to find these applications and put them to the test. The result is my top 7 Notepad++ alternatives.
Best Notepad++ Alternatives
1. Sublime Text – Free and Paid
Sublime Text is one of the very best Notepadd++ alternatives available. It really does have a great number of features and you can use plugins and add ons if you want support for more programming languages and mote functionality. I loved the search and go feature in Sublime Text and I also liked the number of keyboard shortcuts I could use for greater efficiency.
Like Notepad++ you get a tabbed interface with Sublime Text. I liked the fact that you can make changes to multiple rows at the same time and I was able to set up my own personalized shortcuts which were great. You can use Sublime Text on Mac and Linux computers as well as Windows which is more than you can do with Notepad++.
I only tested the free version which you can basically download and use forever. If you are a serious coder then you will want to get the full version. You only have to purchase one license for Sublime Text and then you can use it on as many computers as you want. It is a very powerful program.
2. Vim – Free
Vim is a totally free Notepad++ alternative. It is available to use on Windows, Mac and Linux computers and it is very powerful. I was able to customize Vim to get it to look and function just how I want it. There is really good help support with Vim so if you are new to programming it will get you through most issues.
In fact, I'd go as far as to say that you don't need programming skills to benefit from using Vim. You will need to spend a bit of time configuring it to your liking but it's so flexible that you have a lot of options here. The amount of keyboard shortcuts you can use with Vim is certainly impressive.
There are a lot of user scripts available for download which you can apply to really streamline how you work as well as help you to get the hang of this feature-packed text editor. Vim has support for a lot of programming languages and there is a cool history feature so that you can go back over your actions. Watch this video to learn how to install vim in your window PC.
3. Atom – Free
For a while, you could only use this free Notepad++ alternative for the Mac but now there are versions available for Windows and Linux. The developers at GitHub created Atom and they have used their experience of regularly managing code to create this awesome text editor for other programmers.
Atom is a very flexible text editor and I really liked the different customization options that are available. Not only that but there are a lot of plugins available for Atom due to its open API. When you use Atom it's like using a native application and you get a tabbed layout similar to Notepad++. I also liked the multi-paned layout a lot.
If you know your code then there's almost no learning curve with Atom. It didn't take me long to get started with it so it will be very easy for experienced programmers. If you need help then there's a ton of supporting documentation. File browsing is easy with Atom and you can customize it so you just have the modules you need.
4. Emacs – Free
Xml Notepad For Mac
Emacs has been around in its various forms since 1976 and is another very worthy Notepad++ alternative. When I first started using Emacs I have to admit that I didn't find it the easiest to use. But once I got used to it I realized just how powerful Emacs is for the programming community. Convert wmv to mpeg mac.
You can use almost any type of text with Emacs from the simplest of documents to the most complex code. I liked the fact that you can use different startup scripts to customize the interface so that it matches up with how you want it to perform. There are a large number of keyboard shortcuts and you can record macros with Emacs too.
If you aren't a programmer then you can use a growing number of third-party modules to create different uses for Emacs including word processing, project planning, news reading and calendaring. You can install and use Emacs on a Mac, Linux or Windows computer.
5. Brackets – Free
If you are a web programmer then you'll love Brackets and it certainly deserves its place on my list of Notepad++ alternatives. Having a reasonably good knowledge of web development I was keen to jump in and give Brackets a try. The first thing that struck me was the modern interface which has a very clean look about it.
Don't think that this uncluttered interface means that Brackets doesn't have a lot of features because it does. This powerful text editor hides away the many features from view to make things uncluttered for you. Brackets will highlight syntax which helps with your coding efforts. There's also a split-screen function for easy comparison.
I liked the many keyboard shortcuts available and when I was editing CSS and HTML I could use the live preview feature to see all of my edits come to life in a web browser which was excellent. You can download a version of Brackets for use with Windows, Mac and Linux and it's excellent for editing web pages.
Finale Notepad For Mac
6. Visual Studio Code – Free
If you are looking for a text editor that will assist you to edit and debug your code then Visual Studio Code is a good Notepad++ alternative. When I first used Visual Studio Code I found the really minimal interface quite surprising. If you want even less then you can go into 'Zen' mode that hides almost everything.
I liked the tabbed browsing which other good text editors have as I wanted to work on several files at one time. I was able to use sections entirely devoted to code debugging and there were other good features such as the viewing of command outputs and calling the built-in command prompt.
If you aren't a programmer then Visual Studio Code isn't for you. One of the things I found annoying with this editor was how difficult it was to change some of the settings. But other than that it did a good job and the debugging feature really helped me. A final positive was the ability to select and edit code that you want to change all in one go.
7. BlueFish – Free
Here is another good free Notepad++ alternative. You can use BlueFish on your Linux, Mac or Windows computer and one of the really good things about this text editor is that you can work on a large number of files at the same time and it will still operate as fast as with only one file open.
The interface with BlueFish has more clutter than some of the others and there are stack of toolbars and tabs on view. I really liked that BlueFish had very good code snippet support and it is pretty easy to integrate external programs. I found this text editor pretty easy to use after I got over the initial shock of the fairly cluttered interface.
As a freelance web developer, I appreciated the fact that with BlueFish you have a remote editing function. It was good that BlueFish had syntax highlighting like most of the other Notepad++ alternatives and the syntax checking feature was good too. This text editor has support for most programming languages and it does a great job.
The Final Verdict on Notepad++ Alternatives
I have provided you with mainly free Notepad++ alternatives here. This is not that surprising because Notepad++ is free also. When choosing a Notepad++ alternative you need to consider what you are going to use it for and your level of programming experience.
If you are a web developer like me then Brackets is a very impressive text editor that has a ton of features. I was also impressed with BlueFish but I would go for Brackets if I could only have one of these applications.
For people that are fairly new to the world of programming then Vim makes a lot of sense. It is very easy to customize it and if you need help then the documentation available is top-notch. If you have a lot of programming experience then you will probably like what Atom has to offer.
