Install Notepad++

Post date: Dec 05, 2016 1:14:16 AM

Notepad++ is my favorite text editor for Windows. It surpassed ConTEXT in features several years ago, and has a 64-bit version.

Install Notepad++

Go to the Notepad++ download page: https://notepad-plus-plus.org/download

Click the download link for the 64-bit installer: Version 7.2.2 link

Run the installer, and use (mostly) the default options:

    • English language

    • Agree to the GPLv2 license

    • Install to C:\Program Files\Notepad++

    • Unselect the Auto-Updater

    • Create a shortcut on the desktop

Configure Notepad++

The defaults are pretty good, though I recommend the following changes.

Use the "Settings" menu, "Preferences...".

    • General

      • Tab Bar

        • Select "Multi-line"

    • Editing

      • Unselect "Enable current line highlighting"

      • Select "Enable smooth font"

    • New Document

      • Format (Line ending)

        • Select "Unix (LF)"

      • Encoding

        • Unselect "Apply to opened ANSI files"

    • File Association (Register the following)

      • Notepad

        • .txt

        • .log

      • ms ini/inf

        • .ini

        • .inf

      • c, c++, objc

        • .h

        • .c

        • .cpp

        • .m

      • java, c#, pascal

        • .java

        • .cs

        • .inc

      • public script

        • .sh

        • .bat

        • .cmd

        • .lua

        • .pl

        • .pm

        • .py

      • property script

        • .vb

        • .vbs

      • fortran, TeX, SQL

        • .sql

    • Language

      • Language Menu

        • Disable any programming languages you don't use

      • Tab Settings

        • Enable "Replace by space"

    • Auto-Completion

      • Select "Function completion"

      • From "3"th character

Sharing Configuration

Preferences are set on a per-user basis. After closing Notepad++, the preferences are written to %appdata%\Notepad++\config.xml.

The Preferences location can be changed through the "Settings" menu > "Preferences" > "Cloud" option. You can store it in a synchronized folder such as "OneDrive" or "DropBox". On a new computer, it might be quicker to set the cloud location than to add all of the preferences again.