The light editor for everything in your repo that isn't code.
Markdown, JSON, CSV, configs and images — read, edit and convert them in an app that starts in 0.3 seconds and stays out of your way. A Notepad++ replacement for people who work in repositories, not only the ones who code in them.
Employee handbook
Everything a new hire needs in week one.
Working hours
- Core hours 10:00–15:00, flexible around them
- Remote up to 3 days a week
Leave
Request leave in the HR portal.
Notepad++ was fast. VS Code does everything. You wanted both — in the file you just double-clicked.
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Fast because it is small
Starts in about 0.3 s and idles around 60 MB. Rust underneath, the system's own webview on top. Not Electron.
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Not an IDE, on purpose
No language servers, debugger or terminal. A file panel that says “Table · 12 384 rows · changed 12 min ago” instead of a developer tree. For analysts, writers, HR and ops — and for developers who just want to read the README.
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Notepad++ habits, kept
Ctrl+H, regex find, CRLF/LF, reopen as UTF-8, ISO-8859-2, Windows-1250 or CP852 and convert back. Flip through a folder with Alt+↑/↓.
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Free, private by design
Free for personal and commercial use. Nothing phones home — no telemetry, no account. Updates are opt-in.
One window for the files around your code.
Every file type gets the view it deserves — and the same editor, the same shortcuts, the same status bar underneath.
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Markdown with a paper preview
Edit on the left, read a typeset page on the right. GFM tables, task lists, Mermaid, synced scrolling.
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JSON as text and as a tree
Collapse, search keys, click to jump to the line, edit a value in place, copy its path. Live while you type.
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CSV as a real grid
Semicolon or comma, Windows-1250 or UTF-8 — sniffed. Sort, filter, rename, hide and reorder columns, then save with the delimiter and encoding you choose. Excel files open read-only.
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Search the folder, not the file
Ctrl+K finds file names instantly and streams content matches as they arrive, respecting .gitignore. Results open at the line.
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Git in plain words
Branch and status in the status bar, changes described as “changed” and “new”, a commit panel when you want one. Uses your system git and its saved credentials.
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Your colors, your syntaxes
Dark and light out of the box. Themes are JSON files; import VS Code themes. Define your own highlighting for .log, .env or that config format only your company uses.
- Also:
- Images (PNG, JPEG, WebP, SVG)
- PDF preview
- HTML/JS preview
- Large-file mode
- Command palette
- 14 UI languages
Closed beta. Request a build.
Public downloads land here when the beta is done. Until then we send builds by hand — one email, your platform, a link to the changelog and a place to report what broke.
- Windows 10 / 11x64 · NSIS & MSI beta
- macOS 13+Apple silicon & Intel · DMG beta
Your email and the answers below, only to send you builds and ask how it went. Deleted when the beta ends or when you ask. No newsletter, no third-party trackers.
Free, no strings.
Use noapad at home and at work, on as many machines as you like — commercial use included. No account, no telemetry, no trial clock. It is provided as is, under a short licence. A Pro edition with paid extras may come later; the free core stays free.
Questions
- Is it free?
- Yes — for personal and commercial use, under the noapad licence (EULA). You don’t need a paid plan for anything on this page. A Pro edition with paid extras may come later; the free core stays free. Read the licence
- Is the source code available?
- No. noapad is closed source and free to use. Themes and custom syntaxes are plain JSON files you can share.
- Does it replace VS Code?
- No, and it does not try to. It replaces the moment you open VS Code to read a README, fix a CSV or check a config. For writing code, keep your IDE.
- Which encodings are supported?
- UTF-8 with and without BOM, UTF-16 LE/BE, ISO-8859-1/2, Windows-1250/1252 and CP852. Detection is automatic; you can reopen in another encoding and convert on save, with a warning if characters would be lost.
- Does it send anything anywhere?
- No telemetry, no crash reporting, no analytics. The only network calls are the update check (opt-in) and things you start yourself, like git push.
- Can I make it my default editor?
- Yes — the installer offers file associations for .md, .txt, .json, .csv, .yaml, .toml, .ini, .log and more, plus “Edit with noapad” in the Windows context menu.