Notepad is a good text editor that comes with Windows OS by default. For an average user who only needs to fulfill his regular needs like note taking, adding some bold and italics or even underline, copy/cut and paste, etc… to his texts, notepad is more than enough. But, looking at the skeleton of the program, there is nothing more to explore inside the notepad, even a spell checker is not there. Notepad can’t read specific types of files, and it shows corrupted files with some characters that can’t be understated.
If you are looking for a replacement to the Notepad, we have a small list for you where we listed the most suitable Notepad alternatives which have a lot of functions than the notepad and performs much better. So, have a look at them and choose the right Notepad alternative of your choice.
1. Notepad++
Notepad++ is the best alternative for the Notepad in windows. The software mainly focused on the coding or programming languages to make it simpler to type and manage codes. It supports various programming languages including C, C++, C#, Objective-C, Pascal, HTML, and XML. It has a bunch of themes to fit the needs of the users. Spell checker is also a good feature that boosts the popularity of the software as a text editor. If you are looking for a notepad replacement, the first one to consider is the Notepad++.
2. Notepad2
At the first look at the software will remember the regular notepad in windows. But, it comprises of a bunch of additional features that adds something more to the Notepad like syntax highlighting for several web languages, rectangular selection using the mouse, regular expression search and replace, long line marker, brace matching, auto indent, etc…
It also has the ability to support programming languages like HTML, PHP, ASP, JS, CSS, Java, SQL, Perl, etc… If you are looking for a Notepad replacement with the exact look, the Notepad 2 will be a good choice.
3. Editpad Lite
Editpad Lite is a good option if your primary concern is not coding. We would recommend this program over the Notepad++ and the Notepad 2 if you are a continuous write and not a coder. Editpad Lite comprises some good set of features that enables the ease of use and the best output of your texts. It has some good features like Unlimited undo and redoes even if you save the file, Automatic auto-save and backup features, Clip Collection that stores a list of text snippets for reuse, etc…
All of them are enough capable to compete with other competitors on the field and the software itself comprises of some good set of features. If you are looking for a replacement for the regular notepad in windows, the Editpad Lite is also a good option to select.
4. PSPad
PSPad is yet another notepad alternative that mainly focused on the coders to enable the ease of coding inside the software. As a coder focused text editor, PSPad has a lot of features like syntax highlighting, macro recorder, user-defined highlighting, built-in FTP client, integrated CSS editor, Full HEXeditor. All of them helps the coders and programmers to the extreme to make their tasks simpler like never before.
If you wanted to use the software as a normal text editor, there also the software provides a good set of features like spell checker, text difference, search and replace, auto-correction, multiple tabs, etc… A small drawback of the program that we noticed is the continuous displaying of other programs to install them during the setup process. So, be careful when installing the software and click “Decline” for the unnecessary programs that demand an install.
5. TED Notepad
TED Notepad is also a good notepad replacement with nothing more than a good text editor. It is not suitable for coders who need ease in their work but is suitable for the regular writers who need a good set of features to make their writing simpler and better. The features like line number, multiple undo/redo, outside file modifications, auto-save, and recovery, etc… boost the popularity of the software as a text editor.
In addition to these basic features, the TED Notepad has some good features like the search feature, permanent clipboards, auto-completion, etc… All are built to fit the needs of the users, especially who need a speedier and better typing. A bunch of text-transforming tools also sweetens the features.
6. DocPad
DocPad is yet another alternative for the Notepad that mainly focused on the writers. It is not that much suitable for the coders as the features are well optimized for the writers to make their task simpler. The features like bookmarking, character conversion, block indentation, print preview, file history, search and replace, word wrap, drag and drop support, skinnable UI, trim trailing spaces, etc… make it a good text editing software than the notepad.
It is a new software in terms of the release date but shows a good set of features that are well manipulated to provide a good experience for the writers. It supports all the latest operating systems like Windows 8, 8.1 and Windows 10.
7. ATPad
ATPad is one of the old text editors that didn’t get an update after 2010. But, still, the software is on its line of the top 10 best notepad alternatives. It has a yet simple but elegant UI letting the users to completely be a coder or a writer. A good set of features including line numbers, bookmarks, word wrapping, unlimited redo/undo, displaying white spaces, text snippets, etc… still makes it a good text editor as well as a good Notepad alternative in windows. Another thing to notice is that the ATPad doesn’t require any installation but will run directly from the setup file of the software.
8. NoteTab Light
NoteTab Light is not the best notepad alternative, but still, it is a good option to try. It aims both the writers and coders as it has a bunch of features that are flexible for anyone who uses the software. The free version of the NoteTab Light does not include syntax highlighting and it only supports the coding languages like HTML and CSS. If you need the extra features, you have to go for the paid version.
As a text editor, NoteTab Light supports text snippets, in-text calculations, clipboard pasting, and variable width fonts, etc… In the free version, some of the most essential features like Word counter and Spellchecker are missing. If you need those features, you’ve to pay for them. As there is much other software with these features are available for free, we wouldn’t recommend this if you are ok with other software.
9. FluentNotepad
FluentNotepad is not that much of a notepad alternative. It has some basic set of features like Multiple tabs and Syntax highlighting. The software can’t do much more than a simple text or code editor software. The UI is just like the Microsoft office and shows only a basic set of features with a single tab where users can control the basic text transformations like making it bold or increasing and decreasing size.
Fluent Notepad is the basic version of the Notepad and not suitable for those who need an extreme notepad alternative with a lot of features to make their tasks simple. As there are many other good alternatives for the notepad is available even on this list, I am not recommending this software if you are comfortable with any of the above-listed notepad replacement software.
10. GetDiz
GetDiz is a unique software in look and feel. Apart from any other notepad alternatives listed above, GetDiz has a unique interface with a dark blue background and white text in front. It gives the Turbo C++ like looking windows and has none of the features like the Turbo C++. As the name itself suggests, the program can display the DIZ and NFO files with enhanced functionality. It can also display the ASCII art, and you can save text, DIZ or NFO files as GIF images.
GetDiz is nothing better than the above-listed alternatives for the Notepad, but it’s a very basic text editor for those who only need just an alternative for the notepad in windows.
Conclusion
In this article on best notepad alternatives for windows, we’ve listed 10 of the best replacement for the notepad that you should give a try if you are already fed up of the basic features of the default windows notepad. The above-listed software’s are well compatible with any of the windows version like Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 8.1, or Windows 10. Quickpad is an honorable mention among the notepad alternatives that is not listed in the above list. You can also read our article on Best note taking software for windows.
This list might fulfill your need for a good notepad alternative. If so, feel free to comment on the below comment box and thank us. If you have anything else to ask, you could also comment that there. We will be always happy to serve you as soon as possible.