Part of the programming process happens in your head, but you also need a good code editor to help translate all your ideas onto a computer screen. In Windows there are a lot of free code editors that are quite good and with a lot of potential, and that is precisely what we are going to see in today’s post.
If you are one of those who likes to program on mobile devices, you may also be interested in taking a look later at ” The 10 best code editors for Android .” Let’s go there!
Sublime Text
Sublime Text helps you code faster thanks to its suggestion and code auto-completion functions for HTML, JavaScript and CSS. It also has an API compatible with server languages such as Python and PHP.
The interface allows easy switching between folders and offers some smart packages, although it does not have all the functionality of an IDE. Although there is a full version with a license, the free version is more than decent for those who are just starting to code. Available for Windows, Linux and Mac.
Download Sublime Text
Notepad ++
One of the most popular code editors, written in C ++. Notepad ++ is lightweight and has great execution speed thanks to its Win32 API. It uses a GPL license and is only available for Windows.
The text editor displays syntax errors for languages like PHP, JavaScript, CSS, and HTML. It also offers suggestions for completing words and functions, as well as macro recordings and playback with a fully customizable graphical interface.
Download Notepad ++
Atom
Another of the most popular free code editors for Windows. It has a really simple interface, but with a high level of usability. One of its most useful features is that it allows you to send packages directly from the application.
It also offers plugin support, command color palette, smart autocomplete, multiple windows, and more.
Download Atom
Visual Studio Code
One of its most remarkable features is that we are dealing with a really light code editor. Developed by Microsoft, it offers support for different platforms (Windows, Linux and Mac) and functions that go beyond those of a simple text editor.
VS Code allows you to write code in an interactive environment with the help of artificial intelligence, all through a simple interface that is very easy to access for new programmers. It has an intelligent error detector and a live server with which we can see the changes we make in real time.
Download Visual Studio Code
Apache NetBeans
In this case we are facing an open source project. With this tool we can develop with Java, C ++ and PHP, as well as other popular programming languages.
Like the rest of the editors, it highlights the flaws in the source code for the correction of errors. It also offers wizards and templates to help us build our first apps. Available for Windows, Linux, Mac OSX, and BSD.
Download Apache NetBeans
Braces
A great code editor that differs from the rest thanks to the large number of features it offers. Developed by the Adobe team, this is an Open Source editor that is available for Windows, Linux and Mac.
With Brackets we can see previews in the live browser and modify the code on the fly. It also has code converters, a quick edit function, project management, batch analysis …
Download Brackets
Bluefish
Bluefish is an editor for programmers and web developers with a multitude of options for writing web pages, scripts and applications. This is a light and fast editor, capable of loading up to more than 500 documents with ease.
It offers project support, remote file access support using gvfs, compatible with FTP, SFTP, HTTP, HTTPS, WebDAV, CIFS and others. It also has the classic search and replace tools, as well as the possibility of integrating external programs such as Lint, Weblint, Tidy or Javac.
Download Bluefish
Codespaces
Codespaces is a “cloud code editor” that works from the browser, based on Visual Studio Code. It offers integration with Git repositories, extensions and a terminal window from where we can edit, run and debug code from any device with Internet access.
Codespaces is a tool developed by Microsoft, and although the company has already hinted that its intention is to create payment options to use Codespaces in cloud environments, the application itself is still completely free.
Enter Codespaces
CodeLite
CodeLite is a free and open source IDE platform specialized in C, C ++, PHP, Node.js and JavaScript. Available for Windows, but also for Linux and macOS.
Being an IDE we find a more elaborate development environment than that of a simple text editor, with support for plugins, a generic compiler, interactive debugging, integration functions and autocomplete. At first it may seem a bit complex for novice users, although once we have gotten the hang of it, it is easy to get used to.
Download CodeLite
Vim
Vim is a command line application that was originally designed for Linux and macOS 30 years ago, although it is also available for Windows. It is an “old school” tool and is operated only with the keyboard.
It offers quite a few cool features, such as the ability to create keyboard shortcuts for certain commands or add plugins. It requires a bit of “acclimatization” to learn to navigate and customize the editor to our liking, but it is one of those applications that undoubtedly has its charm.