- Microsoft Code Editor
- Best Code Writing Software
- Best Code Editor For Windows Free
- Best Code Editor For Windows
- Best Code Editor For Windows 10
Verdict: DaVinci Resolve is the best video editing software for Windows with discrete graphics used for high-budget movies and TV shows. Along with traditional color capabilities, such as curve editors, there is also a Neural Engine with face recognition and tracking. There are lots and lots of code editors available. With the choices, comes the pain. Being a developer, it is always good to have the best text editor for programming. The best code editor should be the one that enhances your productivity. It should be powerful but easy to use. Moreover, it should have support for the top programming language.
Text is the building block of the words people read in blogs, stories, and all other types of written content. However, the text visible on internet and digital platforms is not that simple in its origin. In fact, it undergoes intensive editing before final publication, and the editing is not simple either. It is technical in nature, but the good thing is that there are text editors to get things done. They are used by programmers, developers, and content creators, helping them provide a proper format to the written content. So here are the top five text editors for Windows that do an excellent job of modifying the text files.
1. Notepad++
A free source code editor for Windows, Notepad++ was developed by Don Ho in 2003, and even after 15 years, it continues to be the most credible text editor for developers and programmers. It has been rated as the 'most popular text editor' and 'most used text editor' by Lifehacker and Stack Overflow, respectively. It is simple and lightweight and thus a great editing tool for all those who want to keep things clutter-free and yet create commendable work. To edit the file, all one has to do is right-click the file and choose Edit with Notepad++ from the context menu.
- Microsoft Code Editor
- Best Code Writing Software
- Best Code Editor For Windows Free
- Best Code Editor For Windows
- Best Code Editor For Windows 10
Verdict: DaVinci Resolve is the best video editing software for Windows with discrete graphics used for high-budget movies and TV shows. Along with traditional color capabilities, such as curve editors, there is also a Neural Engine with face recognition and tracking. There are lots and lots of code editors available. With the choices, comes the pain. Being a developer, it is always good to have the best text editor for programming. The best code editor should be the one that enhances your productivity. It should be powerful but easy to use. Moreover, it should have support for the top programming language.
Text is the building block of the words people read in blogs, stories, and all other types of written content. However, the text visible on internet and digital platforms is not that simple in its origin. In fact, it undergoes intensive editing before final publication, and the editing is not simple either. It is technical in nature, but the good thing is that there are text editors to get things done. They are used by programmers, developers, and content creators, helping them provide a proper format to the written content. So here are the top five text editors for Windows that do an excellent job of modifying the text files.
1. Notepad++
A free source code editor for Windows, Notepad++ was developed by Don Ho in 2003, and even after 15 years, it continues to be the most credible text editor for developers and programmers. It has been rated as the 'most popular text editor' and 'most used text editor' by Lifehacker and Stack Overflow, respectively. It is simple and lightweight and thus a great editing tool for all those who want to keep things clutter-free and yet create commendable work. To edit the file, all one has to do is right-click the file and choose Edit with Notepad++ from the context menu.
The editor features syntax highlighting, code folding, and limited auto-completion for programming, scripting, and markup languages. A replacement for Notepad, it supports several programming languages and is based on Scintilla — the powerful editor component. It uses pure Win32 API and STL, which translates into faster execution speed and smaller program size, something programmers always look forward to in a text editor. Besides being user friendly and lightweight, it also offers several advantages to the user.
It automatically restores recently opened and unsaved files, which means one can edit without any worry because if one forgets to save, it will be done by Notepad++ every time, without fail. It also auto-completes words as one edits, saving time and effort as a result. The best part is the WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get), which means the edited text will appear the same in the editor as it will when printed or published.
Notepad++ is quite flexible and supports macros and multiple plugins, courtesy of the strong plugin architecture. As of now, more than 140 compatible plugins are available for the Windows text editor, including the 10, which are included by default in the program. The editor is widely used and has a huge user base spread in different parts of the world because it supports 84 languages. It offers internationalization through XML files in an application specific format, which contains all internationalized strings in a specific language. This file can be reloaded from application settings, and one can translate the text to new languages by just editing an existing file. It can save text documents in a huge variety of formats such as TXT, CSS, ASM, AU3, BASH, BAT, HPP, CC, DIFF, HTML, REG, HEX, JAVA, SQL, VBS, and more.
Notepad++ has kept pace with the evolving technical developments as well as the changing environment. The latest version 7.6.4 was launched only this month, and the developers are constantly trying to optimize as many routines as possible to reduce carbon footprints. Suited for beginners as well as pros, Notepad++ is really the best text editor for Windows environment that brings best results in editing.
2. Sublime Text
A sophisticated and lightweight text editor for Windows, Sublime Text was developed by Jon Skinner and Will Bond in 2008 and has been a top selling editor for eleven years. It is written in C++ and Python and comes packed with a host of editing tools that make editing super simple and fun. The cross-platform source code editor offers Goto Anything feature, which enables quick navigation to files, symbols, or lines.
The simultaneous editing allows execution of the same change at multiple places. The syntax highlighting and high-contrast display lower the eyestrain, while auto-complete completes entries as the user types, which speeds up editing.
The keyboard shortcuts further pace up the editing. Sublime Text provides 23 different visual themes and a number of screen modes where one can view maximum of four files or select the full screen mode as one wishes. Customizable to the core (through the JSON settings files), Sublime Text is compatible with plugins and lets the user import tools for better editing. With the latest version release dating a few days back, this editor is advanced from every angle. Fit for newbies as well as nerds, Sublime Text is the right editing tool for smooth and fast editing.
3. EmEditor
EmEditor was developed by Yutaka Emura (a member of Association of Software Professionals) at Emurasoft and comes forward as a fast and lightning-fast text editor that makes editing as easy as it can get.
It can open and edit large files (up to 248 GB or 2.1 billion lines) in record time and also edit CSV files such as Excel with simple drag and drop. A pro at editing big data and files, it is also an expert at foreign languages. It is the pioneer editor for Japanese and Chinese languages.
It supports Unicode and many other international encodings. Its exclusive Filter feature allows one to view only those lines that match specific terms. The keyboard shortcuts edit things in no time, and the AutoFill and Flash Fill further reduce the time by filling the same value as the selected cell in other cells.
Fully flexible, it easily aligns with plugins, and the customizable interface lets one tweak the dashboard so that it tunes in with one's individual work requirements. It offers all the standard editing features such as split screen, tabbed design, portable version, and more to make text editing enjoyable and more efficient. Fast emerging as one of the sought-after editors, EmEditor is an excellent option for modern-day text editing needs. Although the Professional version of EmEditor is a best paid tool for many developers or data analysits, you can try the free version of EmEditor if you just want to edit files casually.
4. Brackets
Brackets is a simple yet robust cross-platform text editor that was launched in 2014 by Adobe Systems and has been gaining popularity at a super-fast pace. It has been written in HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. It comes with an army of features to edit in the most engaging atmosphere. Adaptable in every respect, it allows a developer to alter features and personalize it for one's own needs.
The quick edit lets one delete and add in seconds, and the live preview pushes edited codes, helping one go back and forth between the source code and browser to view the changes in real time. The strong extension framework makes it super easy to install extensions through the Extension Manager. It supports more than 38 types of files including but not limited to C++, C, VBScript to Java, JavaScript, HTML, Python, Perl and Ruby.
The split view, keyboard shortcuts, customizable interface, and the like make editing fast and fun. Tailor-made for web developers and front-end developers, Brackets is a modern text editor that will make one fall in love with editing and coding. Up-to-date, efficient, and easygoing, it is a performer par excellence and thus a must-have for text editors.
5. Atom
Developed by GitHub,Atom was launched in 2014. It is a free, open-source text and code editor whose USP is its ability to host additional features. It offers thousands of packages to the users, letting them decide and pick what works for them. The best part is that packages install easily by just typing the specific command. Moving on, the customizable interface gives ample scope for personalization where one can change looks, fonts and more.
The editor works out of the box, and the shortcuts edit text faster. One can switch between tabs and the drag-and-drop file/folder support makes editing even quicker, irrespective of the user's expertise. The split panes, tree view, search and replace features that are in-built in the editor let one switch from one file to another in seconds.
The changes are executed simultaneously at selected places, and thus, one saves on time and effort. Atom is also compatible with scores of programming languages that include C C++, HTML, Java, JavaScript, JSON, PHP, and many more. The icing on the cake is the GitHub team that is always ready with 24/7 support. A hackable text editor for the 21st century by its own admission, Atom is perfect for first-timers as well as veteran programmers for text editors.
Text editors, sometimes called code editors, are an essential tool when working with code.
Modern text editors provide a host of tools and features to help you modify code such as syntax highlighting for multiple languages, built-in file uploads, error reporting, search and replace and more.
Whether you are a full time web developer, or a website owner that needs to make a few quick edits to a template, you will appreciate how useful text editors can be.
In this article, we would like to show you what we at Design Bombs consider to be the best text editors of 2020.
1. TextPad (FREE Evaluation / $27)
Platforms: Windows
TextPad is a flexible text editor for Windows that features a built-in file manager, a search and replace engine and a keystroke macro recorder.
It allows drag and drop editing between files and works well with large files too.
I have actively used TextPad since my University days in the 90s and it remains one of my favourite website applications. You can download TextPad free of charge for evaluation, but the developers ask that you upgrade for $27 if you decide to continue using it.
2. Atom (FREE)
Platforms: Windows, Mac, Linux
Atom is an open source text editor that is available for multiple platforms. It is free to download.
It features a file system browser, find and replace and smart auto-completion. Atom also allows you to work with Git and GitHub directly within the editor.
New features and functionality can be added using its built-in package manager and it comes with eight dark and light themes.
3. Sublime Text (FREE Evaluation / $80)
Platforms: Windows, Mac, Linux
Sublime Text is a gorgeous multi-platform text editor that has many useful shortcut commands to improve efficiency. It can be used to find code within files in seconds.
It has a dedicated package manager that helps you install thousands of community-created packages to add more features. Multi-window editing is supported too.
Sublime Text can be downloaded free of charge for evaluation. A premium license costs $80 and comes with three years of updates.
4. Espresso (FREE Trial / $99)
Platforms: Mac
Espresso is a versatile code editor for Mac that supports custom code snippets, multi-file editing and tabbed workspaces.
Dozens of plugin extensions and syntax themes are available to help you add functionality and improve the look and feel of the app. CSS editing tools are available too.
The application is available for $99.
5. Vim (FREE)
Platforms: Windows, Mac, Linux, Unix, iOS, Android
Evolved from the Atari ST's popular ST Editor, Vim is flexible open source text editor that has 12 different editing modes. This includes a visual mode that highlights area of text, a command line mode and an easy mode.
Hundreds of programming languages are supported and there are a large number of plugin extensions available that add additional functionality.
6. Visual Studio Code (FREE)
Platforms: Windows, Mac, Linux
Microsoft's Visual Studio Code editor is a stylish multi-platform text editor that is free to download.
It features auto-complete, syntax highlighting and debugging.
Git commands are built into the editor so that you can push and pull requests. A number of extensions are also available so that you can add new languages, themes and tools.
7. Brackets (FREE)
Platforms: Windows, Mac, Linux
Brackets is an open source text editor that features inline editing, live previews, quick edits and live highlighting.
A host of extensions are available that add functionality such as indenting, Git integration, W3C validation and JavaScript, HTML and CSS formatting.
8. Coda ($99)
Platforms: Mac
Designed for Mac users, Coda is an useful text editor that has a built-in file and SSH manager.
It has colourful syntax highlighting, CSS overriding and advanced syncing between devices. MacBook Pro users can also switch between editor and preview mode using their laptop touch bar.
9. Code Editor ($24.99)
Platforms: iOS
Designed for iPad and iPhone, Code Editor is a beautiful text editing solution from Panic, the same company behind Coda.
It features a dual file browser, SSH terminal support and unique editing modes for Shell, SQL, Swift and more.
Code Editor is available from the Apple app store for $24.99.
10. UltraEdit (FREE Trial / $79.95 Per Year)
Platforms: Windows, Mac, Linux
UltraEdit is a multi-platform text editor that has built-in FTP, SSH and Telnet managers.
Microsoft Code Editor
A host of themes are included with UltraEdit and it boasts multi-code select and advanced file searching. It supports large files too and the editor has been designed to work with high resolution displays.
A 30 day free trial is available for UltraEdit. Once the trial has expired, it costs $79.95 per year.
11. BBEdit (FREE Trial / $49.99)
Platforms: Mac
Developed for Mac, BBEdit is a useful text editor that features an advanced search and replace engine and a built-in file manager and FTP manager.
A unix command-line tool is also available and there is integration support for Git, Subversion and AppleScript.
BBEdit retails at $49.99, however you can download it free of charge and test it for 30 days.
12. TextMate($56)
Platforms: Mac
Another text editor that Apple users should check out is TextMate.
It offers multiple caret editing, version control, code snippets, macro recording, folding sections and shell integration. Custom actions, custom themes and extensible bundles are also available.
Although TextMate is open source, the product is sold commercially for $56.
13. Codeshare (FREE)
Platforms: Online
Codeshare is a free online text editor that lets you write, edit and share code with friends and colleagues.
It can be used to teach code to others and share code. Many companies also use the tool to set coding tasks for interviewees.
14. CoffeeCup (FREE / $29)
Platforms: Windows
CoffeeCup is a popular HTML editor for Windows that has a large components library and a built-in W3C markup validation tool.
Best Code Writing Software
A split-screen preview pane allows you to see what your HTML and CSS code will generate. There is also a tags tab that has references for (X)HTML, PHP, and CSS tags.
A free version of CoffeeCup is available with less features, with the full version retailing at $29.
15. Komodo Edit & Komodo IDE (FREE)
Platforms: Windows, Mac, Linux
Download high sierra update. Komodo Edit is a free text editor that features auto-complete, skins and icon sets and a change tracker.
Komodo IDE is a superior alternative from the same developers that has a visual debugger, version control, workflow management, syntax highlighting and a host of add-ons to extend functionality.
16. CodePen (FREE / $8 Per Month)
Platforms: Online
One of the largest coding communities online, CodePen is a free online code tool that allows users to share and test HTML, CSS and JavaScript code snippets.
Istat menus 6 00 (906) download free. The CodePen text editor looks great, highlighting syntax code with many colours.
The majority of CodePen features are free to use, however premium plans are available from $8 per month that remove advertisements and add features such as live view and unrestricted theme embedding with custom CSS.
17. Codeanywhere (FREE Trial / $2.50 Per Month)
Platforms: Online
Codeanywhere is a cloud code editing and sharing solution that lets you edit code remotely and move and copy files and folders across FTP, Google Drive, Dropbox and more.
Its text editor has syntax highlighting for over 75 programming languages and features split panes, grid mode, multiple cursors and custom themes. It also supports file revisions and has a built-in terminal console.
A 7 day free trial is available to help you test the service, with premium plans starting from $2.50 per month.
18. Notepad++ (FREE)
Platforms: Windows
Notepad++ is an open source Windows text editor that offers syntax highlighting, scripting, auto-complete, macro recording and split screen editing.
Over 140 plugin extensions are available that let you add functionality such as W3C validation, text sorting and quote handling.
Cloudtv 3 8 1. The application is free to download.
19. WeBuilder ($59.95)
Best Code Editor For Windows Free
Platforms: Windows
Best Code Editor For Windows
Creators for Windows users, WeBuilder is a versatile code editing application that has syntax highlighting for many popular programming languages.
It features several themes, advanced search and replace, macro recording, split editing, shortcuts for code snippets and code templates, a built-in file upload manager and many code validation tools.
WeBuilder retails from $59.95. The developers are behind other text editors that are also worth checking out such as Rapid CSS Editor, HTMLPad and Rapid PHP Editor.
20. Spacemacs (FREE)
Platforms: Windows, Mac, Linux, Unix
Despite its name, Spacemacs is not just for Apple users. It is a multi-platform text editing solution that brings Emacs and Vim tools together.
The application features graphical and command line user-interfaces and boasts key bindings. There are many community created plugin extensions too that add functionality.
As Spacemacs is open source, it is free to download.
21. PhpStorm (FREE Trial / $199 Per Year)
Platforms: Windows, Mac, Linux
PhpStorm is a premium text editor that provides code analysis and error prevention for programming languages such as PHP, HTML, CSS, JavaScript and other languages.
It works well with modern content management systems such as Drupal, WordPress, Magento and Joomla, and offers features such as version control, remote deployment, command line tools and advanced debugging.
Best Code Editor For Windows 10
PhpStorm retails at $199 for the first year, $159 for the second year and $119 for subsequent years. A 30 day free trial is available to help you test the application.
22. GNU Emacs (FREE)
Platforms: Windows, Mac, Linux
GNU Emacs is an open source multi-platform text editor that offers syntax highlighting and a customisable graphical user-interface.
A large number of plugin packages are available that add additional functionality such as code snippets, custom themes and HTML5 schemas.
You can download GNU Emacs free of charge.
23. Bluefish (FREE)
Platforms: Windows, Mac, Linux Virtual hardware download.
Our final recommendation is Bluefish. This lightweight editor offers search and replace, file uploads via FTP and SFTP, a snippets sidebar and code block folding.
An unlimited amount of undos and redos are permitted and Bluefish will show any mistakes you have in your code.
Bluefish is an open source application, so is free to download on Windows, Mac and Linux.
Final Thoughts
I hope you have enjoyed this look at the best text editors of 2020. If so, I encourage you to subscribe to Design Bombs. You can also get updates of our latest articles by subscribing by RSS or by following us on Facebook or Twitter.
What's your favorite text editor?
Let us know in the comment area below 🙂
Kevin
