Announcement

Starting with upcoming version 1.0.6, Notepad++ for Mac will be renamed to Nextpad++. The new name is a small nod to Mac history. Before returning to Apple in 1996, Steve Jobs founded NeXT, which became the foundation of what is now macOS.
The domain will be changing tomorrow to nextpad.org.

Nextpad++ for Mac

Nextpad++ is an independent port of Notepad++ for macOS.

No Wine, no emulation. A macOS native port of Notepad++ for Apple Silicon and Intel Macs.

Download for macOS Learn More

Version 1.0.2 · April 14, 2026 · Apple Silicon & Intel · macOS 11+

Nextpad++ for macOS in light mode showing syntax-highlighted code with tabs and document map Nextpad++ for macOS light mode with multi-document tabbed editing and native macOS toolbar Nextpad++ for macOS light mode with native title bar and syntax highlighting Nextpad++ for macOS light mode showing split view editing, code folding, and search results Nextpad++ for macOS light mode with the Plugin Admin window and ported macOS plugins Nextpad++ for macOS in dark mode with native macOS chrome and syntax-highlighted source Nextpad++ for macOS dark mode showing tabs, document map, and find-in-files results

Everything you love, on your Mac

Nextpad++ has powerful features of Notepad++, built to feel right at home on macOS.

Syntax Highlighting and Localization

Support for 80+ programming languages with customizable color themes and user-defined languages. Switch Nextpad++ to the language you speak. It supports 137 languages out of the box.

Plugin Ecosystem

Extend functionality with a rich plugin ecosystem. Customize your editor to match your workflow. More plugins are being migrated to macOS as we speak.

Apple Silicon Native

Built for M-series chips. Launches instantly, runs efficiently, and respects your battery life.

Search & Replace

Powerful search with regular expressions, find in files, bookmark lines, and incremental search.

Split View Editing

View and edit two documents side by side, or two parts of the same document simultaneously.

Macro Recording

Record, save, and replay macros to automate repetitive editing tasks with ease.

What is Nextpad++ for Mac?

Nextpad++ is an independent unofficial port of Notepad++ Windows application to macOS. It is a free, open-source source code editor and TextEdit replacement that supports many programming languages and is great for general text editing. No Wine, Porting Kit, or emulation layer is needed — this is an independent native Notepad++ port governed by the GNU General Public License.

Based on the powerful editing component Scintilla, Nextpad++ for Mac is written in Objective C++ and uses pure platform-native APIs to ensure higher execution speed and a smaller program footprint. I hope you enjoy Nextpad++ on macOS as much as I enjoy bringing it to the Mac.

This project is an open-source and independent community port of Notepad++ to macOS, started on March 1, 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. For the official Windows version of Notepad++, visit notepad-plus-plus.org.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Notepad++ available for Mac?

No, but Nextpad++ is an independent unofficial macOS port of Notepad++ and is free to download. It runs on both Apple Silicon (M1, M2, M3, M4, M5) and Intel Macs without any emulation or compatibility layers.

Do I need Wine or Porting Kit to run Nextpad++ on Mac?

No. Nextpad++ for macOS does not require Wine, Porting Kit, CrossOver, or any other compatibility layer. It runs as a native macOS application.

Does Nextpad++ work on Apple Silicon?

Yes. Nextpad++ for macOS is built as a Universal Binary with native ARM64 support. It runs at full speed on all Apple Silicon Macs (M1, M2, M3, M4, M5) without Rosetta translation.

Is Nextpad++ for macOS free?

Yes. Nextpad++ for macOS is completely free and open source, released under the GNU General Public License. There are no ads, subscriptions, or hidden costs.

Does it support plugins?

Yes. Nextpad++ for macOS and includes Plugin Admin and supports a growing library of plugins being ported directly from Notepad++ for Windows, with new releases added weekly. Visit the Plugins page to see the latest list of macOS ported plugins.

Is Nextpad++ for Mac the official Notepad++?

NO. Nextpad++ for Mac is an independent unofficial built from the official Notepad++ source code, which is open-source under the GNU GPL v3. Notepad++ was originally created by Don Ho in 2003 for Windows. This Mac version is an independent community port — it shares the same codebase and feature set but is maintained separately from the upstream Windows project. It is not affiliated with Don Ho or the official Notepad++ team. For the official Windows version, visit notepad-plus-plus.org.

How is Nextpad++ for Mac different from the Notepad++ Windows version?

The editing experience is identical — same Scintilla engine, same syntax highlighting for 80+ languages, same search and replace, same macro recording, same plugin support. What differs is the user interface layer: menus, dialogs, file pickers, keyboard shortcuts, and windowing all use native macOS Cocoa APIs so the app feels at home on a Mac. The binary is a Universal Binary, running natively on both Apple Silicon and Intel.

Is Nextpad++ for Mac safe to install?

Yes. Every release is code-signed with an Apple Developer ID certificate and notarized by Apple, which scans each build for malware and issues a stapled ticket that macOS Gatekeeper verifies offline. The full source is open on GitHub, so anyone can audit or rebuild the software independently. macOS will not warn about an unidentified developer when you open the DMG for the first time.

Who maintains Nextpad++ for Mac?

Nextpad++ for Mac is maintained by Andrey Letov and the open-source community contributing to the nextpad-plus-plus GitHub organisation. The project is independent of Don Ho and the upstream Notepad++ project, and contributors are welcome to submit pull requests for bug fixes, plugin ports, and new features.

Does Nextpad++ for Mac collect any data or telemetry?

No. Nextpad++ for Mac contains no telemetry, no analytics inside the application, no advertising, and no data collection of any kind. The editor does not phone home, track usage, or send crash reports. The only network traffic the app makes is when you explicitly use the Plugin Admin to browse or install plugins, which fetches the public plugin registry from GitHub.