PSA: Regarding Notepad++ on MacOS
Regarding the post from last week talking about the Notepad++ on MacOS: https://www.reddit.com/r/macapps/comments/1swjf8r/a_native_port_of_notepad_is_now_available_for_the/?sort=confidence The original creator of Notepad++ has issued a trademark infringement for the software: Link to his blog: https://notepad-plus-plus.org/news/npp-trademark-infringement/ Trademark Violation: Fake Notepad++ for Mac 2026-05-01 Several users have recently reported a website pretending to offer an official macOS version of Notepad++: notepad-plus-plus-mac.org Let me be blunt: This site has absolutely nothing to do with Notepad++. It’s not authorized, not endorsed, and not affiliated with the project in any way. The owner is using the Notepad++ trademark (the name) without permission; and even goes as far as placing my name and biography on the site to make it look legitimate. This is misleading, inappropriate, and frankly disrespectful to both the project and its users. It has already fooled people - including tech media - into believing this is an official release. To be crystal clear: Notepad++ has never released a macOS version. Anyone claiming otherwise is simply riding on the Notepad++ name. As mentioned in my GitHub post, I have already contacted the owner of the fake “official” website, and I am still waiting for a reply. In the meantime, if you see someone posting “Notepad++ is finally on Mac!” on Reddit, Twitter, Mastodon, Discord, StackOverflow, or any tech blogs/forums, please reply with: “This is not an official Notepad++ release. It’s an unauthorized project misusing the Notepad++ trademark.”, and include a link to this announcement. Thank you to the users who raised the alarm. Your vigilance helps protect the project from people who think they can borrow the Notepad++ identity as they please. – Don Ho Came across this on twitter. Thought it was worth sharing.
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Mods have pinned a comment by u/cryptodutch: ANNOUNCEMENT In coordination with Don Ho, the creator of the original Notepad++, I'll be evolving the branding of the macOS version so it stands on its own while respecting its lineage. These updates, such as a new logo, a refined name, and likely a new domain will ship with version 1.0.6 in the coming days. Continuity for existing users is a priority, and I'll make the transition as seamless as I can. Thank you for your patience. What is Spotlight?
There is a pattern of vibe coders and people using AI to assist in coding without looking at the various open source licences and trademarks they are using or borrowing from. They need to understand open source doesn't always mean you can take from them freely without giving credit and open source software can have trademarks.
Weirdly enough, the dude who made the port is an actual software engineer. Don't think its about credit here though, more about using the name and likeness I'd imagine if someone decides to port the OG Notepad++ to mac and call it something else entirely, theres zero reason for the original developer to go after them
Well they really should make an official version for macOS otherwise this will happen again
Probably the best way to deal with it. Porting stuff takes time though
Why? They don’t use macOS, they don’t know how to make quality macOS apps, and there are already several native apps for Mac users. CotEditor, BBEdit, Sublime Text, TextMate, CodeRunner, Nova, etc
IMO, MacOS doesn't need a Notepad++. It's got enough native editors, many of which are better than N++ anyway. I know I'm probably in the minority, but I'm still rocking a lifetime cross-platform license of UltraEdit.
Eh, notepad++ is good because it’s written in c++ if you want a similar experience on macOS (especially for the speed) go get Sublime Text - https://www.sublimetext.com. I use sublime for REALLY BIG data manipulation with regex because it’s also C++, and isn’t in a shitty electron wrapper like all the others.
or zed. zed is fast.
Sublime rocks
If you’re dealing with big CSV, do yourself a favor and also check out VisiData. I love a good regex far more than I should, but VisiData broke me of some of that mental illness 🙂.
It actually scares me how quickly people ran to this app without even the slightest bit of critical analysis as to where it came from, whether it was associated with the main project, etc. I don't mean to imply that it was done maliciously, but the ease in which AI allows someone to fork a well known project and spin up a beautiful website might readily allow a malicious actor to gain a foothold relatively quickly.
Not to mention flaming anyone who dared to raise questions about it.
Crazy. I only read that headline on the reddit and didn't look into it as i wasn't interested in an editor at that time. That he took his biography and image for his website is wild... I mean, mentioning that it is "inspired by" is okay, but taking the entire branding and staff details is instant red card.
ANNOUNCEMENT In coordination with Don Ho, the creator of the original Notepad++, I'll be evolving the branding of the macOS version so it stands on its own while respecting its lineage. These updates, such as a new logo, a refined name, and likely a new domain will ship with version 1.0.6 in the coming days. Continuity for existing users is a priority, and I'll make the transition as seamless as I can. Thank you for your patience.
Saw that, just fyi, no announcement to that effect from Don Ho yet, not saying its not true
lol @ "in coordination ..." Don Ho had to repeatedly ask him to act otherwise he'll take legal action and here's the guy spinning it to be a mutual decision.
Looked at the github discussion, its actually hilarious: Don Ho (Original Notepad Developer): How can I make you understand that you have no right to use a registered trademark without authorization? I have reported your unauthorized use of the Notepad++ trademark to your CDN provider Cloudflare. From my perspective, your website behaves an impersonation/phishing site because it misleads users into believing your product is the official Notepad++ release. I will also inform the community so they can avoid this website & the project associated with it. The response to this from the Notepad Mac Developer: In coordination with Don Ho, the creator of the original Notepad++, I'll be evolving the branding of the macOS version so it stands on its own while respecting its lineage. These updates, such as a new logo, a refined name, and likely a new domain will ship with version 1.0.6 in the coming days. Continuity for existing users is a priority, and I'll make the transition as seamless as I can. Thank you for your patience. Lol
Is the Mac version dangerous to install?
Well for starters it doesn't have the long standing reputation of Notepad++. In fact, when confronted the developer doubled down and played coy (check the GitHub issue for the discussion). Some may consider this being naive but there may very well be malicious intent behind this (check out XZ - Jia Tan). Proceed with caution I'd say.
Yeah this site has been making the rounds for weeks now and it's wild people fall for it. For actually-native Mac alternatives that exist: CotEditor is free, open-source, lightweight and probably the closest spiritual successor for plain-text editing. BBEdit has a generous free tier if you need more muscle. Both are notarized and on the App Store, no sketchy downloads required.
Ha! It seemed too strange for the quintessential Windows app to be coming to Mac.
Quick way to spot AI-cloned Mac apps: bundle size 200MB+ usually means Electron in a wrapper. Real native Swift apps are 20-50MB. The notarization signature also tells you who actually shipped it.
I am not pretending I am the smartest ass around but the site name gives you ALL the hints. No legitimate developer will name the site like this. Looks Chinese to the core
Trademark issue aside, I’m more worried there was something in the version released to mac. Has anyone did some scan or something?