Brief: Notepad++ is not available for Linux but we’ll show you the best Notepad++ alternatives for Linux in this article.
Notepad++ is my favorite text editor on Windows at work. At home, I use desktop Linux and I miss Notepad++. I don’t know why even after several years Notepad++ hasn’t come up with a Linux client.
But so what if it’s not available for Linux, we can always use some worthy alternatives to Notepad++ for Linux. I’ve compiled a list of the seven best text editors you can use in place of Notepad++ on your favorite Linux distribution, be it Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Fedora or any other version.
Before we check out this list of Notepad++ alternatives, let’s first think about what we’re looking for in a text editor.
I say the basic features should be lightweightness, syntax highlighting, auto-completion, a appealing GUI, multi-language support, macros, regex searching and a good number of additional plugins. All the text editors listed here are chosen based on these criteria.
Without further ado, let’s have a look at some Notepad++ Linux alternatives.
Best Notepad++ alternatives for Linux
Just to add, not all the text editors discussed here are open-source. And though this list is for Notepad++ alternatives, I wouldn’t hesitate to call it a list of the best text editors for Linux. I know a few people will pitch for Vi, Vim, Emacs, Pico or Nano but these legendary (typically) command-line editors have been deliberately excluded from the list.
1. Notepad++
Wait! Did I just say Notepad++? Yes, I did in fact.
You can use the same good old Notepad++ on Linux, although it’s not the same experience. You see, you can use certain Windows applications on Linux using Wine. Though it’s not the same as using a native Linux application, it’s still usable to a good extent.
Someone has created a Snap application of Notepad++ running on Wine. While it would normally be slightly difficult to configure Wine, the Snap app makes it easier for you.
Make sure that you have Snap support enabled. And then just type the command below to install Notepad++ on Linux:
sudo snap install notepad-plus-plus2. Notepadqq
After Notepad++ itself, the first entry on our list is Notepadqq and the reasons for this are obvious. Notepadqq is an exact replica of Notepad++, at least in terms of looks. It’s free and open-source. On Ubuntu and Linux Mint, you can install Notepadqq using its official PPA. Open a terminal and use the following command:
sudo snap install notepadqqYou can get the source code for other Linux distributions:
3. SciTE
SciTE is a cross-platform, open-source text editor that comes with a number of plugins/add-ons. The GUI may not look as good as in next-generation text editors such as Atom but it has enough features to be worth using. It’s been part of the Linux world for quite some time and has a fan following of its own.
Most Linux distributions have SciTE included in their repositories. On Ubuntu and Linux Mint, you can install it using the command below:
sudo apt-get install sciteFor other Linux distributions, you can get the source code here:
4. Geany
Alright! Geany is not merely a text editor, it’s (almost) an IDE. A free and open-source product, Geany is available for all desktop platforms such as Windows, Linux, macOS, BSD, etc. Here’s a quick list of its features:
- Syntax highlighting
- Code folding
- Symbol name auto-completion
- Construct completion
- Auto closing of XML and HTML tags
- Many supported filetypes including C, Java, PHP, HTML, Python, Perl, etc.
- Code navigation
- Compile and execute your code
- Project management
- Plugins
Like SciTE, Geany too is available in the default repositories of the major Linux distributions. On Ubuntu and Linux Mint, you can install it using the following command:
sudo apt-get install geanyYou can get the source code for Geany from the link below:
5. Sublime Text
Sublime Text is perhaps one of the few non-free and non-open source products that are widely popular in the Linux world. Despite opaque and slow development, Sublime Text has been the preferred text editor of many programmers for a long time. Feature-rich, extremely cool in looks and full of plugins, Sublime Text is a hot favorite for many. Its features can be summarized as follows:
- Goto anything
- Multiple selections
- Command palette
- Distraction-free mode
- Split editing
- Instant project switch
- Plugins
- Customization
You can install Sublime Text on Linux using Snap.
sudo snap install sublime-text6. Kate
KDE users are probably aware of Kate, the default text editor on the KDE desktop environment. Kate is a powerful and feature-rich text editor and was declared the best text editor for Linux by Lifehacker a few years back. Here’s a quick glance at its features:
- MDI, window splitting, window tabbing
- Spell checking
- Shell integration
- Syntax highlighting and bracket matching
- Regular expression support
- Code and text folding
- Infinite undo/redo support
- Block selection mode
- Auto indentation
- Auto completion
- Plugin support
- Customizable shortcuts
On Ubuntu and Linux Mint, you can install Kate using the following command:
sudo apt-get install kateIt should also be in the repositories of other Linux distributions. You can download the source code from the link below:
7. Atom
Atom is the latest sensation in the programming world. A cross-platform, open-source text editor from GitHub, it’s termed the “hackable text editor for the 21st century”. Atom has a lot of interesting new features as well as an uber-cool GUI.
You can install Atom on Ubuntu or Fedora by downloading the respective binaries. You can also get its source code.
Lime Text [Discontinued]
The name might give it away. Lime Text is actually related to Sublime Text. It’s a free and open-source clone of Sublime Text. Frustrated with slow development and the almost total lack of insights on the upcoming Sublime Text 3 (it’s been in beta for nearly three years now), Frederic decided to take the matter into his own hands and thus Lime Text was born. Almost identical in looks, Lime Text also mimics Sublime Text in terms of features.
You can get the source code for Lime Text from the link below:
Which is the best Notepad++ alternative for Linux?
How did you find this list? Does it have your favorite text editor in it? Which is the best text editor for Linux according to you? Do share your views. And if you liked this article, do check out our list of the best modern open-source code editors for Linux.
