Most coders today might prefer writing leetcode on something popular like Sublime, Visual Studio Code, or Atom, but the old-school OGs know it’s the driver, not the car. Posturing aside, modern source code editors offer a lot more productivity tools that enable you to code faster, but for those who love Notepad++, there is no better replacement. After all, are you even a real coder unless you have 65 tabs of unfinished projects open on Notepad++?

As much as older programmers love it, Notepad++ is a good editor to start your coding journey with. It’s a Windows-only app, which means you can’t run these files if you upgrade to a MacBook.

Notepad++ is easy enough to install on your computer. If you’re running Windows 11, you have to download the 64-bit version, whereas depending on your system, you can also download the 32-bit versions for Windows 10 and lower.

Installing Notepad++ on Windows

Here are the steps to install Notepad++ on your Windows machine:

  1. Open your browser and navigate to www.notepad-plus-plus.org/downloads/.
  2. On this page, you will see a list of versions — choose the top option, which is the newest version of Notepad++.
  3. On the downloads page, you will also see the release date. Below this, you have a section titled Download 64-bit x64.
  4. Further down, you can view different download options — choose between an installer files or zip files, as per your requirements.
  5. If you want to install the file on your current machine, download the installer. If you want to download a zip file to copy and use on a different system, you can download a zip file.
  6. If you scroll a bit more, you can also see 32-bit options as well as an ARM64 option, for ARM-based PCs.
  7. Once you click on the installer and pick a save location, the download begins immediately. Once it downloads, go to the folder you downloaded it to, and double-click the installer file to run it.
  8. Follow the on-screen instructions to set it up, and soon enough Notepad++ will be live on your screen.
  9. To launch this app in the future, either use the desktop shortcut or type notepad++ into your Windows search bar.

That’s it! It’s extremely simple to install Notepad++ on your PC. You are now ready to use this source editor for coding and building apps. With its user-friendly interface, extensive features, and support for various programming languages, Notepad++ is a powerful tool for both beginners and seasoned coders.