# Notepad3: a portable Scintilla editor for Windows, and what it does not do

> Notepad3 is a free Windows text editor built on Scintilla and Lexilla, distributed as a portable archive rather than an installer. It is a strong replacement for Windows Notepad and a light option for scripting and config work, but it is not a cross-platform editor and it has no plugin system.

**rizonesoft/Notepad3** — Notepad like text editor based on the Scintilla source code. Notepad3 based on code from Notepad2 and MiniPath on code from metapath. Download Notepad3:

- Repository: https://github.com/rizonesoft/Notepad3
- Website: https://rizonesoft.com/downloads/notepad3/
- Stars: 6,680 · Forks: 410
- Language: C
- License: not declared
- Published: 2026-09-22 · Updated: 2026-09-22 · Language: en
- Canonical page: https://hysenlabs.com/projects/rizonesoft-notepad3

## The gap Notepad3 fills on Windows

Windows Notepad is fine until you open a file that is not UTF-8, or a 200 MB log, or a JSON document you need to fold. Notepad3 targets exactly that gap. The README describes it as a free, open-source text editor with syntax highlighting for Windows, built on the Scintilla editing component and the Lexilla lexer library, with a small memory footprint. The audience is Windows users who edit code, configuration files, logs and scripts, and who do not want an IDE or a subscription. It also inherits a lineage: the README states it is based on code from Florian Balmer's Notepad2 and XhmikosR's Notepad2-mod, and that the MiniPath companion is based on Florian Balmer's metapath. That matters for expectations. This is a mature codebase with a long history, not a new project, and the release list shows a steady cadence: RELEASE_6.25.822.1 in August 2025, then RELEASE_7.26.426.1 in April 2026 and RELEASE_7.26.602.1 in June 2026. The last push to the default branch was on 2026-09-20, so the repository is not archived and work is ongoing.

## Scintilla, Lexilla and the INI file that holds everything

The architecture is straightforward and the README is explicit about the two external pieces: Scintilla handles the editing surface, Lexilla supplies the lexers that drive highlighting. Notepad3 itself is C, and the top-level repository layout reflects that: src/, scintilla/, lexilla/, res/, themes/, language/, plus companion directories minipath/, grepWin/ and np3encrypt/. Configuration is not stored in the registry by default. The README says Notepad3 is fully portable, that settings live in Notepad3.ini alongside the executable, and that Ctrl+F7 opens that INI file directly in the editor. That single design decision explains most of the rest: relative path storage for USB drives, a file history that preserves caret position and encoding, and the ability to carry a configured editor on a stick. The companion tools are separate binaries rather than plugins: MiniPath is described as a fast file browser plugin reached with Ctrl+M, and grepWin is a search-and-replace tool across files, also exposed inside the editor with Ctrl+Shift+F. Note the word plugin here is the project's own; there is no third-party plugin API documented in the README.

## Installing Notepad3 and a first real edit

There is no installer to run. The README states that Notepad3 is fully portable, that you extract the archive and run Notepad3.exe, and that settings are stored in Notepad3.ini alongside the executable. The download channels listed are the rizonesoft.com downloads page, GitHub Releases for stable builds, and pre-releases on GitHub for nightly builds. Pick the architecture you need: the system requirements list x86 (Win32), x64, x64 with AVX2, and ARM64, on Windows 8.1, 10 or 11.

After extracting, the first useful thing to check is the INI, because that is where every setting lives. The README gives Ctrl+F7 as the shortcut that opens it in the editor.

```text
Ctrl+F7
```

The second thing to try is the search-in-files tool, since it is the feature most people reach for a second editor to get. The README documents grepWin as an integrated search-in-files tool with regex support, bound to Ctrl+Shift+F.

```text
Ctrl+Shift+F
```

The third is the INI-driven behaviour you cannot see from a screenshot. Files whose first line is .LOG get a fresh date and time appended on open, which the README ties to classic Notepad behaviour. If you are replacing Windows Notepad system-wide, the README points to a documentation page titled Replacing Windows Notepad rather than giving the steps inline. If you build from source instead, the README gives the toolchain: Visual Studio 2022 with toolset v143 and the Windows SDK, with these commands:

```powershell
nuget restore Notepad3.sln
Build\Build_x64.cmd Release
Build\BuildAll.cmd Release
msbuild Notepad3.sln /m /p:Configuration=Release /p:Platform=x64
```

The README also notes that you should run Version.ps1 before building, to generate version headers from templates in Versions\.

## What you give up: no macOS build, no plugin API

The clearest limitation is the platform. The system requirements name Windows 8.1, 10 and 11 only. There is no macOS or Linux target in the README, and no statement that one is planned. If your team is mixed-platform, Notepad3 cannot be the shared editor.

The second limitation is extensibility. The README lists MiniPath and grepWin as companion tools and calls MiniPath a plugin, but it documents no plugin API, no package registry and no scripting host for third-party extensions. What you get is what ships: over 55 lexers, PCRE2 regex in find and replace, an inline expression evaluator, encryption, encoding detection. If your workflow depends on installing extensions from a community repository, this is the wrong tool, and no amount of configuration in Notepad3.ini will change that.

A third caveat is documentation shape. Several features are documented in the repository rather than the README: Focused View, TinyExpr++, encryption, encoding detection and the file content flags all point to files under readme/. The README itself is a feature index with links, and the configuration section is truncated in the repository's own Readme.md. Expect to read the linked pages rather than a single manual. The README also does not document rollback or downgrade steps between releases, so if you pin a version, plan how you would move back yourself.

## Notepad3 against Notepad++

The comparison people actually search for is notepad3 vs notepad++. The difference in approach is architectural. Notepad++ is a plugin platform: its ecosystem is the reason many people install it, and extensions are how you add behaviour the core does not have. Notepad3 is the opposite bet. It ships a fixed feature set, stores everything in a portable INI file, and offers no third-party plugin API in its README. That makes Notepad3 easier to carry on a USB drive and to configure by copying one file, and it makes Notepad++ the better choice when you need an extension that only exists as a plugin.

Both are Windows-only and both are free, so the decision is not about cost. It is about whether you want an editor you extend or an editor you configure. A second, narrower comparison is notepad3 vs notepad2, the ancestor named in the README: Notepad3 continues that lineage with Scintilla and Lexilla underneath, additional languages, dark mode, high-DPI support and the companion tools, so the practical difference is scope rather than a different idea of what an editor is.

## Licence, maintenance and upgrade cost

The README carries a BSD 3-Clause licence badge linking to opensource.org, and the repository metadata supplied for this page lists the licence as unknown. Those two do not agree, and the discrepancy is worth resolving before you redistribute a build inside a company. Read the licence file in the repository and the badge target yourself; this page cannot settle it, and nothing here is legal advice.

On maintenance, the evidence is concrete: the repository is not archived, the last push was on 2026-09-20, and the last three releases are RELEASE_6.25.822.1 (2025-08-22), RELEASE_7.26.426.1 (2026-04-26) and RELEASE_7.26.602.1 (2026-06-02). The project also publishes nightly pre-releases on GitHub, which the README lists as a separate channel. Upgrade cost is low by design: because settings live in Notepad3.ini next to the executable, replacing the binary and keeping the INI is the whole operation for a portable install. The cost that does exist is the one the README does not cover, which is what happens to your INI when a new release adds or renames a setting. Test a new build against your existing INI before rolling it out, and keep a copy of the old INI alongside the old binary.

## Encryption, encoding detection and the features that need reading up

Three features deserve a closer look because they change what you can safely do with the editor, and each has its own document under readme/. Encryption is AES-256 Rijndael, available in-app and as a command-line batch tool, with a companion directory np3encrypt/ in the repository. That means you can script encryption outside the GUI, which is unusual for an editor of this size. Encoding detection is powered by uchardet, which addresses the most common reason people leave Windows Notepad: opening a file in the wrong encoding and corrupting it on save. File change monitoring has configurable check intervals, so an open file can be reloaded when something else writes to it.

The feature list also includes things you would not expect from a Notepad replacement: Focused View filters the display to lines matching the current word or selection with Ctrl+Alt+V, TinyExpr++ evaluates inline math with 80+ functions when you type expression=? and supports ${expr} in line numbering, and clipboard monitoring mode, enabled with the /b command-line switch, appends every clipboard change to the end of the document until you stop it from Edit > Stop Clipboard Monitoring. Each of these is documented in its own page rather than the README, which is the pattern to expect across the whole project.

## Conclusion

Adopt Notepad3 if you work on Windows and want a small, portable editor with syntax highlighting for more than 55 languages, PCRE2 search, and an INI file you can edit with Ctrl+F7. Do not adopt it if you need macOS or Linux, or if your workflow depends on a plugin ecosystem. Before committing, verify the licence terms yourself, since the repository metadata does not state one; open the FAQ and the documentation pages linked from the README; and confirm the architecture you need (x86, x64, x64 with AVX2, or ARM64) is present in the release you download.

## FAQ

### Is there a better version of Notepad?

Notepad3 is positioned as exactly that: the README describes it as a free, open-source text editor with syntax highlighting for Windows, built on Scintilla and Lexilla, with over 55 languages supported. It is portable, so you can try it without replacing anything.

### How does Notepad3 compare with Notepad2?

The README states that Notepad3 is based on code from Florian Balmer's Notepad2 and XhmikosR's Notepad2-mod, with Scintilla as the editing component and Lexilla for lexers. In practice Notepad3 adds scope: over 55 languages, dark mode, high-DPI support, and the MiniPath and grepWin companion tools.

### Is Notepad3 portable and does it need an installer?

The README states that Notepad3 is fully portable and that no installation is required: you extract the archive and run Notepad3.exe, with settings stored in Notepad3.ini alongside the executable. It also documents relative path storage, which is what makes running it from a USB drive practical.

### Does Notepad3 support plugins?

The README describes MiniPath as a plugin reached with Ctrl+M and lists grepWin as a companion search tool bound to Ctrl+Shift+F, but it documents no plugin API or package registry for third-party extensions. The two companion tools are part of the project rather than an extension ecosystem.

### Does Notepad3 run on macOS?

The README lists the system requirements as Windows 8.1, 10 or 11, on x86 (Win32), x64, x64 with AVX2, or ARM64. No macOS or Linux target is documented.

## Sources

- [Issues](https://github.com/rizonesoft/Notepad3/issues)
- [Project website](https://rizonesoft.com/downloads/notepad3/)
- [README](https://github.com/rizonesoft/Notepad3/blob/master/README.md)
- [Releases](https://github.com/rizonesoft/Notepad3/releases)
- [rizonesoft/Notepad3 on GitHub](https://github.com/rizonesoft/Notepad3)

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Hysen Labs editorial analysis, written from the project's own repository and release notes. Cite the canonical page: https://hysenlabs.com/projects/rizonesoft-notepad3