Notepad++ is a free and powerful tool with many functions for editing texts and source codes. Numerous features are built into the editor, such as autosave, controlled indentation, simultaneous editing, searching for text strings with open tabs, macros, searching for text strings in a directory, etc. In addition, Notepad++ is written in the C programming language with a pure Win32 API, which provides faster execution speed.
This famous editor was previously developed specifically for the Windows platform, but with the help of Wine it can be configured on all Linux devices.
Wine refers to the compatibility layer with the ability to run Windows applications on multiple POSIX compliant operating systems such as BSD, macOS, and Linux. The software was first released to the public on November 24, 2003 by DevOp Dan Ho and is still in active development.
Requirements
- Snap.
- Access to the terminal.
- Internet connection.
- A non-root user with sudo privileges.
- Free-Linux.
Note. You can use this post for Ubuntu 14.04, Ubuntu 16.04, Ubuntu 18.4, Ubuntu 20.04, Ubuntu 21 and the new version of Ubuntu 22.04 that this article is about.
In this article, we will exclusively focus on two methods to install Notepad++ on our Ubuntu 22.04 system:
- How to install Notepad++ via terminal.
- How to install Notepad++ using the graphical user interface (GUI).
Method 1: How to Install Notepad++ Using Terminal on Ubuntu 22.04
Here is a procedural guide for installing Notepad++ on Ubuntu.
Step 1: Update the apt database
First, before we start the installation procedure, we need to update the apt database system and existing packages. For this reason, open your terminal by pressing the "CTRL+ALT+T" keyboard shortcuts. After that run the following command:
sudo apt update
Step 2: Update apt packages
Next, you will be given the number of packages that need to be updated at the end of the update command. Thus, enter the following command to update the said packages. However, you have the option to skip this step after running the upgrade command and there are no packages to upgrade:
sudo apt upgrade
The system should now be set up for the installation process.
Step 3: Install Notepad++
To set up Notepad++, you must have the snap package installed on your system. In some cases, you may find that the snap-in is not configured on your system; so use the following command to set up Notepad++.
sudo snap install snapd
As you can see from the above output, snap is already configured on our system. We can now continue with the snap core installation process on our Ubuntu system. To set up snap core on Ubuntu, run the following command:
sudo snap install core
Finally, let's use the snap package to install Notepad++ on our Ubuntu system:
sudo snap install notepad-plus-plus
The above snapshot clearly shows that Notepad++ 8.4.4 has been successfully installed.
Let's switch focus and look at the second way to customize Notepad++.
Method 2: How to install Notepad++ on Ubuntu using GUI
Follow the steps below to install Notepad++ using the GUI.
Step 1: Open the Ubuntu Software Center.
To open the Ubuntu Center, click the Actions menu on the left side of the desktop, as shown in the snapshot below.
After that, go to the search bar and type "ubuntu software" and an icon like this will appear, click on it to open it:
Step 2: Find Notepad++
When the Ubuntu software is running, click the search icon on the left side of the Ubuntu software display menu. After that, search for "Notepad++(WINE)" in the search bar and select it from the displayed results:
Step 3: Install Notepad++
After you select an application, the Notepad++ (WINE) window will appear. You should see a green highlighted button named "Install" on the right side of the window. Click on it to start installing Notepad++.
Step 4: Give Login Credentials
During installation, the "Authentication Required" wizard will appear on the screen. This notifies you that in order for the process to continue, you must first authorize it. Provide the system password credentials of your PC and click the "Authenticate" button as shown in the snapshot below:
And it's all! The snapshot below clearly indicates that Notepad++ is effectively configured on our Ubuntu system:
Let's go ahead and see how we can run the already installed Notepad++ application.
How to run Notepad++ on Ubuntu 22.04
To use this application after installation, you need to run it. This can be achieved with the following commands:
notepad-plus-plus or notepad-plus-plus &
This should launch the editor for you.
The above method may not be practical for those who are not terminal fanatics, so here is a graphical approach to running Notepad++.
How to launch Notepad++ using GUI
Step 1. First, click "Actions" on the left side of the desktop.
Step 2: After that, search for "Notepad++" in the search bar as shown in the snapshot below:
Step 3: When the icon appears, click on it. After clicking on the Notepad++ icon, the wine configuration window will appear; give it some time while it completes the final configuration settings as shown below:
This will take you to a new blank default notepad page where you can get started with the programmer's notepad software.
It's also important to note that this software not only uses a "light" mode, but also has a "dark" mode, which is sometimes hard to find, but this guide will help you. Here is a brief description of how you can switch modes in this app:
First, click the "Settings" menu located in the first line of the Notepad++ menu bar: Then go to "style configurator" in the menu bar to open the design menu. You will then be able to find "choose a theme" in this section, you will find several themes to choose from, with "Default" being the default setting.
It's also important to know that there are several dark themes to choose from: there's a "Default Dark Mode" which is the normal mode with predominantly black and gray tones. But "Obsidian", "Deep Black", "Twilight" or "Zenburn" also provide a dark background.
However, the problem is that even after switching to dark mode, the menu bar always remains bright. You can then use the distraction-free method available through View in the menu bar. Unfortunately, this will spontaneously hide the top menu and end up with a dark editor. To exit the distraction-free mode, use the plus button in the upper right corner of the editor screen.
Let's also see how you can upgrade and update Notepad++ on your Ubuntu 22.04 system.
How to update Notepad++ on Linux
Given that we used the Snap package installation method, the upgrade process is quite simple. Here is the command to make sure the software is in the latest release packages:
sudo snap refresh notepad-plus-plus
Let's see how we can get rid of this software from our Ubuntu system.
How to uninstall or uninstall Notepad++ from Ubuntu 22.04 system
If, for one reason or another, you want to remove the Notepad++ application from your Ubuntu 22.04 system, enter the following command:
sudo snap remove notepad-plus-plus
The screenshot above shows that Notepad++ has been removed from our Ubuntu 22.04 system.