Notepad++

A minimal native macOS text editor built with Swift and AppKit — no Xcode required. Made for work and fun :))

Features

• Scratchpad mode — opens instantly with your last text, no file required
• File mode — open, edit, and save .txt files
• Save As — always saves with .txt extension
• Open from Finder — double-click any .txt file to open it
• Autocorrect toggle — Edit → Autocorrect (persisted between launches)
• Unsaved changes prompt — never lose work by accident
• No Electron, no frameworks, no dependencies

Requirements

• macOS 13 Ventura or later
• Xcode Command Line Tools

Install CLT if you don't have them:

xcode-select --install

Build

git clone https://github.com/ahtlv/notepad-plus-plus.git
cd notepad-plus-plus
bash build.sh

The app is built to build/Notepad.app.

Run directly:

open build/Notepad.app

Install to Applications:

cp -r build/Notepad.app /Applications/

Note: The app is unsigned. On first launch, right-click → Open to bypass Gatekeeper.

Project Structure

notepad++/
├── Sources/
│   ├── main.swift                  # Entry point
│   ├── AppDelegate.swift           # App lifecycle, menus, file actions
│   ├── NotepadWindowController.swift  # Window, TextView, load/save logic
│   └── ScratchStore.swift          # Scratchpad persistence
├── Resources/
│   ├── Info.plist                  # Bundle metadata
│   └── AppIcon.icns                # App icon
├── icns/                           # Source icon assets
├── build.sh                        # Build script
└── Tests/
    └── test_scratch_store.swift    # ScratchStore unit tests

Keyboard Shortcuts

Action	Shortcut
New	⌘N
Open	⌘O
Save	⌘S
Save As	⌘⇧S
Quit	⌘Q
Undo	⌘Z
Redo	⌘⇧Z
Cut / Copy / Paste	⌘X / ⌘C / ⌘V
Select All	⌘A

Changelog

See CHANGELOG.md.

License

MIT