The text editor I used instead of notepad and notepad++
Been stuck in the Notepad → Notepad++ loop for years. Quick notes in Notepad, anything with code or bigger files in Notepad++. But I recently tried Text Editor Pro and honestly… it’s kinda spoiled me now.
This thing is free (optional donations), portable, and loaded. Syntax highlighting for pretty much every language/script you’d touch, multi-caret + synchronized editing, code folding, over 600 customization settings, 100+ skins. They even added an AI Chat inside the editor – feels futuristic for something that still looks and acts like a classic text editor.
Other stuff I actually use: spell checker, image/PDF viewer built-in, Markdown/RTF/SVG preview, character map, numerical unit converter, side-by-side text compare, formatters for JSON/SQL/XML, converters, multi-directory support (including SFTP), and search results pane. It’s like someone collected every little tool I ever opened separately and put them in one spot.
Latest version is 35.4.0, starts instantly, no nonsense. It grew out of an older project called EditBone. For me it’s become the default replacement – more capable than Notepad++ without feeling heavy like VS Code.
If you’re still on basic editors, give this one a spin. Might surprise you. What’s your daily driver these days?
Sourcea: Texteditor Pro