A Native Port of Notepad++ is Now Available for the Mac
I haven't seen this posted yet. A port of Notepad++ is now available at https://notepad-plus-plus-mac.org/ that "is built from the official Notepad++ source code" written in Objective C++ and uses macOS APIs. Per the website: This project is an independent open-source community port of Notepad++ to macOS, started on March 10, 2026. It is distributed as an Apple Developer ID-signed and Apple-notarized Universal Binary, runs natively on both Apple Silicon (M1–M5) and Intel Macs, and contains no telemetry, no advertising, and no data collection of any kind. The full source is available at github.com/notepad-plus-plus-mac/notepad-plus-plus-macos There is support for Notepad++ plugins, but plugins have to be ported. You can check out the dev's homepage at https://aletik.me I am not the dev. I learned of this app from a comment on another post and with the number of posts that ask for Notepad++ / Notepad alternatives for the Mac, I thought people might find this useful.
Collected discussion
Dude if this is real I’m very excited. I use notepad++ a lot on windows and since Atom died there hasn’t been a great replacement.
It seems legit. The About page has a lot of details about the project, such as the technology stack, the maintainer, etc.
I had to go to Sublime Text , which got me most of what Notepad++ and Atom did.
Coeditor: https://github.com/coteditor/CotEditor ?
It's real. Playing with it... just missing the VIM plugin hehe.
This port is not endorsed by Don Ho, the author of Notepad++. The Mac port's author claims he will change the name / branding. However, it is a fork of the Notepad++ source code, which is licensed under the GPL. Take that how you will.
I wish they called it TextEdit++
I switched to BBedit and don’t miss notepad++ Disclaimer: it’s neither free nor cheap but it’s a really powerful app.
Honestly, the free version of BBEdit has always been enough for me. Otherwise, CotEditor is lovely and simple.
I have been using it for, let’s just say “decades”. It never disappoints.
Christmas came early this year
Awesome! Recently switched to macOS and loved notepad++ on Windows. So this is good news for me!
Love np++. 1000 tabs here we go! One of the few things I missed about windows. Hopefully the plugins will join too
plugin ecosystem will decide if this survives or not
The real power of Notepad++ is the Scintilla editing engine it's based on. Great to see this project is also using it!
Lol I was just literally searching yesterday sth like that. What a surprise!
Malware included? /s Also, if this isn’t blessed by the official project, why is it using the N++ name?
I would like to know if it’s safe to use tbh. I would love NPP but I’ve seen macapps share questionable apps.
macOS got CotEditor and Sublime Text. Why use notepad++. I know it's a great app for windows, but what's missing on macOS?
I've been using NotepadNext: https://github.com/dail8859/NotepadNext for a bit now. It's a re-implementation of Notepad++.
That it won’t implement dark mode drove me crazy
Best thing I’ve heard about since the invention of sliced bread!! Have been waiting for this in ages.
Love Notepad++. Thanks for sharing.
Absolutely loved Notepad++. Simple, easy to use and what not :)
Finally! I recently switched to macOS and I really couldn't live without Notepad++. Now this will make the transition finally painless.