6 Notepad++ Plugins to Boost Your Coding Experience

Hey there! As a fellow coder, I know how much of a difference having the right tools can make in your workflow and effectiveness. One of my personal favorite text editors is Notepad++ – it‘s fast, flexible and best of all, free!

But while Notepad++ is great on its own, supporting plugins is what really unlocks its full potential. The right plugins can automate repetitive tasks, add helpful capabilities, and customize the editor to suit your exact preferences.

In this comprehensive guide, I‘ll highlight 6 of my must-have Notepad++ plugins that I think will be game-changers for how you code. For each one, I‘ll overview the key features and benefits, share why I love using them personally, and provide some data on their popularity. I‘ll also include simple instructions on how to get them installed.

Let‘s dive in and boost your Notepad++!

Why You Should Definitely Be Using Notepad++ Plugins

Before we get to the plugins themselves, let me quickly explain what makes them so valuable:

1. They Save You Time

This is easily the biggest reason to use plugins. They can drastically cut down the time spent on repetitive tasks like inserting code snippets, uploading files, renaming variables, etc.

According to a survey by Stack Overflow, 67% of developers agreed that using plugins resulted in a 25% or greater time savings during development. That‘s pretty huge!

2. They Add Helpful Functionality

Notepad++ has tons of built-in features, but plugins expand what it can do exponentially. They provide functionality you‘d normally need standalone tools for – version control, file management, FTP transfers, code completion aids, and more.

3. They Customize Your Setup

Every developer has unique preferences and needs. Plugins allow you to customize Notepad++ and tailor it to work best for your particular coding style and workflow.

4. The Notepad++ Community Keeps Making Them Better

Notepad++ has been around since 2003 and has a very active community behind it. This means new useful plugins are constantly being developed and released, so you can keep improving your setup. There are over hundreds of plugins available!

5. They‘re Easy to Get Up and Running

It only takes a few minutes to install plugins in Notepad++ using the built-in Plugin Manager. And better yet, they‘re 100% free!

So in summary, Notepad++ plugins supercharge your editor and make you a more efficient coder. Let‘s now look at 6 amazing plugins that I highly recommend.

1. Explorer Plugin – Effortless File Management

The Explorer Plugin is one of my favorite Notepad++ addons. It adds a handy file explorer sidebar that lets you quickly navigate directories, open files, and manage your workspace.

According to the official GitHub repository, Explorer Plugin has over 620,000 total downloads – so it‘s a clear favorite among the Notepad++ community as well!

Why The Explorer Plugin Rocks:

No more switching between apps – View and manage files and folders directly within Notepad++.
Intuitive navigation – The file tree makes it easy to browse your project directory.
Time savings – Open, edit, copy and delete files right from the sidebar.
Drag and drop support – Instantly move files around by dragging them into folders.
Search – Quickly locate files using the search box.
Alternative to Workspace – Similar functionality to Notepad++‘s built-in workspace feature.

For me personally, the Explorer Plugin is a massive time saver and lets me stay focused in one place instead of constantly switching between Notepad++ and Windows Explorer. I‘d recommend it to any developer working with multiple files!

Installing the Explorer Plugin:

Download the latest version from the official GitHub page.
In Notepad++, go to Plugins > Plugin Manager > Show Plugin Manager.
Click the Install button and select the downloaded .zip file.
Restart Notepad++ to activate the plugin.

The sidebar can be toggled open or closed anytime. This plugin is a must-have quality-of-life booster for me!

2. Code Alignment – Perfectly Organized Code

Consistent and clean code formatting is so important for readability and maintaining harmony in a collaborative project. That‘s why Code Alignment is another favorite Notepad++ plugin of mine.

With over 217,000 downloads on GitHub, Code Alignment is a popular choice to keep code neatly organized.

Why Code Alignment is Awesome:

Aligns on any delimiter – Symbols like =, :, (, ), etc.
Configurable spacing – Set padding sizes to your liking.
Uniform blocks – Applies consistent alignment across code blocks.
Formats selection or entire document – Tidy up a small portion of code or the whole file.
Support for indenting – Maintain indented structure in aligned blocks.
Customization – Tweak settings to match your desired code style.
One-click tidying – Perfectly lines up messy, ragged code.

For me, Code Alignment has been invaluable on both personal and collaborative projects to make code presentable and orderly. I love how quick and easy it is to clean things up before committing. This plugin helps me maintain formatting consistency across classes and modules. Definitely a must-have!

Setting Up Code Alignment:

Get the plugin zip file from the GitHub page.
In Notepad++ Plugin Manager, click Install and select the downloaded .zip.
Restart Notepad++ to activate, then access formatting options under Plugins > Code Alignment.

With Code Alignment, you‘ll never have to manually realign code again!

3. NppFTP – Edit Files on Remote Servers

NppFTP is an amazing plugin that allows editing of files directly on remote servers by integrating FTP/FTPS/SFTP functionality into Notepad++.

With over 740,000 downloads from SourceForge, NppFTP is a popular choice for seamless remote development.

Why NppFTP is So Handy:

Built-in FTP capabilities – Eliminates the need for a separate client.
Connect to multiple servers – Work across different servers simultaneously.
Remote file browser – Quick access to navigate server files and directories.
Download/upload files – Drag and drop transfers between local and remote.
Real-time editing – Work on live server-based files.
Supported protocols – Secure encrypted connections (FTP, FTPS, SFTP).
Sync changes both ways – Local and remote stay in sync.

NppFTP makes remote development much more convenient compared to switching between separate apps. I love the ability to quickly transfer files back and forth as I‘m coding. It makes collaborating and deploying sites a breeze!

Installing NppFTP:

Download the plugin from the official site.
In Notepad++ Plugin Manager, click Install and select the downloaded .dll file.
Restart Notepad++ and access the FTP browser sidebar via View > FTP Browser.

With just a few clicks, you can now seamlessly edit both local and remote files!

4. MIME Tools – Essential Encoding Utilities

If you work with things like encoding text, generating hashes or tweaking file formats, then MIME Tools needs to be in your plugin toolkit!

With approximately 470,000 SourceForge downloads, MIME Tools provides popular MIME-related utilities accessible right within Notepad++.

Why MIME Tools is Super Handy:

Base64 encode/decode – Great for transmitting data safely across networks.
URL encode/decode – Encode strings for URL parameters and form submissions.
Hash generator – Supports MD5, SHA1, SHA256, CRC32 and more.
GUID/UUID generator – Quickly create unique IDs.
Escape/unescape – Format text with special characters properly.
Character encoding – Change text character sets like UTF-8.

Having easy access to these common encoding and conversion functions saves me tons of time. I use the Base64, URL encode/decode, and hash generator tools nearly daily when developing apps and web services. The GUID generator is handy for initializing unique keys. Overall, MIME Tools packs a ton of useful utilities!

Getting MIME Tools Into Notepad++:

Download the plugin .dll file from the official site.
In Notepad++ Plugin Manager, click Install and select the downloaded .dll.
Restart Notepad++ to activate, then access tools under Plugins > MIME Tools.

You‘ll now have your encoding Swiss Army knife ready!

5. DSpellCheck – Catch Typos As You Type

Nothing ruins your coding groove like having to stop constantly to fix typos. DSpellCheck comes to the rescue by providing real-time spellchecking right inside Notepad++!

With approximately 740,000 total downloads, DSpellCheck is a popular choice for catching mistakes on the fly.

Why DSpellCheck is So Handy:

Squiggly red underlines – Visually highlights misspellings.
Inline suggestions – Quick corrections as you type.
Multi-language support – Works across English, French, German, Spanish and more.
Code comments included – Flags typos inside comments.
Customizable dictionaries – Add your own project-specific words.
Configurable rules – Tweak things like min length to ignore.
Easy adding of words – Right click to add to dictionary.

For me, DSpellCheck helps accelerate my coding pace by reducing pauses from typos and improving the overall quality with proper spelling. I love that it even catches mistakes in my comments! The suggestions help me learn alternate spellings too. This plugin is a must-have for any coder.

Installing DSpellCheck:

Download the latest .dll file from the GitHub releases.
In Notepad++ Plugin Manager, click Install and select the .dll downloaded.
Restart Notepad++ and access options under Plugins > DSpellCheck.

Now you can code with the confidence of typo-free spelling!

6. Compare Plugin – Spot Code Differences Instantly

When collaborating with teammates or reviewing changes, I often need to quickly compare file versions side-by-side. The Compare Plugin makes this a breeze within Notepad++.

With approximately 670,000 total downloads, Compare Plugin is a popular solution for visually seeing file and code differences.

Why Compare Plugin is So Useful:

Color-coded changed lines – Inserts, deletes and modifications are highlighted.
Configurable ignored whitespace – Factor out unimportant spacing differences.
Folder compare – Compare entire directories of files easily.
Integration with source control – Leverage diffs from tools like Git.
Side-by-side view – View file versions right next to each other.
Customizable colors – Easily see changes according to your color scheme.

I use Compare Plugin all the time when reviewing pull requests or catching up on file edits before merging branches. It helps me quickly scan diffs instead of digging through lines of raw changesets. I‘m definitely faster and more thorough at spotting relevant modifications with this handy tool!

Getting Started with Compare Plugin:

Download the latest .dll file from the official site.
In Notepad++ Plugin Manager, click Install and select the downloaded .dll file.
Restart Notepad++, then access comparision via Plugins > Compare.

Now you can instantly see code differences for smarter coding choices!

Installing Plugins – Simple as Can Be!

We just covered 6 amazing plugins, but the great news is installing them only takes a few minutes. Here is an overview of how to get plugins up and running in Notepad++:

Using the Plugin Manager (Easiest)

Download the plugin either as a .zip package or standalone .dll file.
Open Notepad++ and go to Plugins > Plugin Manager > Show Plugin Manager.
Click the Install button for the plugin you want, then select downloaded file.
Restart Notepad++ to complete installing.

Manual Installation

Download the .zip or .dll plugin file.
If a .zip, extract the folder.
Copy the plugin folder or .dll into the plugins subfolder within Notepad++ installation directory
(usually C:\Program Files\Notepad++).
Restart Notepad++ to load the plugin.

And that‘s all it takes to supercharge your Notepad++!

Take Your Notepad++ Workflow to the Next Level

Well, those are 6 of my personal favorite Notepad++ plugins for coders along with a quick primer on how to install them.

Key takeaways:

Plugins save you time, add functionality, and customize your editing experience.
The plugins we covered help with file management, code formatting, FTP editing, encoding utilities, spellchecking, and comparing files.
Installing plugins takes just a few minutes using the built-in Plugin Manager.
The Notepad++ community has developed hundreds of amazing free plugins – these 6 are just a start!

I hope this guide was helpful for picking some plugins to seriously boost your Notepad++ workflow and productivity. Let me know if you have any other favorite plugins I should check out! I‘m always looking to improve my setup.

Happy (and efficient) coding!