Notepad++ Portable

Pros

• Advanced text editor
• Supports many coding languages
• Portable

Cons

• Reduced plugin support

Notepad++ is an advanced Windows text editor that does not require installation.

Notepad++ is a text editor as well as an editor for source code. It is designed for use Windows and aims to provide the cleanness and simplicity of Windows notepad but with the advanced editing features that modern programmers have come to expect. The program is open-source, and the application is freeware, so you can use it as much and as often as you like with no charge.

Some of the advanced features include tabbed editing, which allows multiple files to be open in a single window. It offers syntax highlight for most of the prevalent programming languages, and you can also write your own syntax rulesets for proprietary formats. Spellchecking is supported, but note that with the portable version, wanted spellcheck dictionaries must be downloaded individually.

Notepad++ Portable is a portable version of the main Notepad++ program. The purpose of this version is not to require installation so that you can have a personalized version with you at all times on a USB flash drive. The goal is also to have a relatively small footprint so that you have as much space as possible for your files. The default footprint is just 2 MB, which is why you have to download, for instance, any spellcheck dictionaries that are relevant to your work individually.

One of the most powerful aspects of Notepad++ is plugin support. If you want to add a particular feature, chances are someone has already developed a plugin for it. Notepad++ Portable supports plugins as well, but the support is not quite as robust. Both programs use the same plugins, and most will work with Portable, but some of the more ambitious plugins do not and may never.

Pros

• Advanced text editor
• Supports many coding languages
• Portable

Cons

• Reduced plugin support