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dail8859/notepadnext

★ 14,122C++Audience · developerComplexity · 1/5LicenseSetup · easy

TLDR

A free, cross-platform text editor built to feel like Notepad++ but runs on Windows, Linux, and macOS, good for editing code, config files, and notes across operating systems.

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((Notepad Next))
    What it does
      Cross-platform editor
      Notepad++ feel
      Code and text editing
    Platforms
      Windows installer
      Linux AppImage
      macOS disk image
    Installation
      Winget on Windows
      Flatpak on Linux
      Homebrew on macOS
    Building from source
      Qt framework
      Qt Creator IDE
      Contributor guide
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Code map

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Things people build with this

USE CASE 1

Use a familiar Notepad++-style editor on Linux or macOS where the original doesn't run.

USE CASE 2

Edit code and configuration files with syntax highlighting on any major operating system.

USE CASE 3

Install via Winget on Windows to get automatic updates and a right-click context menu entry.

USE CASE 4

Build the editor from source using Qt to add or modify features.

Tech stack

C++Qt

Getting it running

Difficulty · easy Time to first run · 5min

Prebuilt installers need no developer tools, building from source requires Qt and Qt Creator.

Free to use and modify, but if you distribute the software you must also share your source code under the GNU GPL v3.

In plain English

Notepad Next is a free text editor for your computer. It is a from-scratch rebuild of Notepad++, a well-known and popular text editor on Windows that programmers and other people use for writing code, notes, and configuration files. The main reason this rebuild exists is portability: the original Notepad++ only runs on Windows, while Notepad Next is designed to work across Windows, Linux, and macOS, so people on different operating systems can use a familiar editor. The README is honest about the project's state. It says the application is generally stable and usable, but that it should not be trusted with critically important work because it still has a number of bugs and some features that are only partly finished. The authors welcome help from other developers in the form of pull requests, which are proposed code changes. Most of the document explains how to install the program on each operating system. On Windows you can use an installer, a plain zip file, or the Winget package manager, with the installer adding extras like automatic updates and a right-click menu option. On Linux you can download a self-contained AppImage, install a Flatpak from Flathub, or add a community-maintained package source for Ubuntu. On macOS you can download a disk image or install it through Homebrew. There is also a small tip for macOS users about turning off font smoothing so the text looks more like the Windows version. The last part of the README is aimed at people who want to build the program themselves from its source code. It explains that development is done with a toolset called Qt and the Qt Creator program, names the supported version, and points to a longer step-by-step building guide for newcomers. The project is open source and released under the GNU General Public License version 3.

Copy-paste prompts

Prompt 1
How do I install Notepad Next on Ubuntu Linux using the AppImage or Flatpak method?
Prompt 2
How do I build Notepad Next from source on macOS using Qt Creator, step by step?
Prompt 3
What features from Notepad++ are fully working in Notepad Next, and which ones are still incomplete or missing?
Prompt 4
How do I install Notepad Next on Windows using Winget and enable the right-click context menu option?
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