Regardless of its name, Notepad++ has no association with Microsoft. It is a text editor developed by third party developer aimed at replacing the Microsoft Windows’ default text editor — Notepad — which very lacks of features. As a Notepad replacement app, Notepad++ comes with way more features than the Notepad.
Notepad++ comes with a tabbed interface, allowing you to handle multiple text files in a single window. Notepad++ is especially great for writing code as it supports a wide range of programming languages. Even with its extensive features, Notepad++ still supports plugins. With plugins, you can add more features that are not available yet. You can add or remove plugins from the plugin manager, or also called Plugins Admin.
Installing plugin manager in Notepad++
When installing Notepad++, you will be asked what components you want to install. One of those components is Plugins Admin. If you have installed Notepad++ but forgot to install the Plugins Admin, you can reinstall your Notepad++. Don’t worry, you can save the current settings on your Notepad++ so don’t really need to start over with Notepad++. You will see the following dialog on the last step of Notepad++ removal.
Just make sure to click the Yes option to keep your custom settings. You won’t even lost your last work once you have reinstalled Notepad++ and open the newly installed Notepad++.
Once you have removed the Notepad++ installed on your Windows system, double click the binary file of Notepad++ to reinstall it. You can download the latest version of Notepad++ on its official website. On the Choose Components window, select Custom on the installation type section and make sure to tick the Plugins Admin component.
How to use Notepad++ plugin manager
Once you have installed Notepad++ with Plugins Admin component selected, you will see an option called Plugins Admin under the Plugins menu.
Clicking the Plugins Admin option you will be taken to the Plugins Admin window where you can either install or remove plugins. To install a new plugin, head to the Available tab and tick the plugin you want to install and click the Install button on the upper right area.
To remove the installed plugins, switch to the Installed tab and tick the plugins you want to remove and click the Remove button on the upper right area.