In case you find yourself amongst the Windows platform users for a while now, you might already be aware of the ups and downs that come with this operating system, regardless of the variant. We must admit that there are a few features that come built-in on every Windows operating system which unfortunately have been somewhat left out over the last few years, and of course one of them is none other than Notepad.
Luckily there are solutions to this problem which come in the form of programs meant to replace Notepad, and although these alternatives do not come wrapped and labeled by Microsoft, some of them do a pretty good job at providing a better alternative. Amongst these programs dedicated to enrich our notepad experience stands out EditPad Lite, a piece of software which is by far a much more viable solution than the built-in Notepad that comes hand in hand with your Windows OS.
EditPad Lite enables the user to open multiple txt files at once with tabbed navigation between the opened txt files, a brilliant print setup and preview, unlimited undo/redo and a whole bunch of additional features which will undoubtedly improve your text editing experience.
EditPad Lite MainInstallation & Requirements
EdiPad Lite is a freeware flavored program dedicated to give a better text editing experience for Windows users exclusively. The installation process is pretty much self-explanatory and offers multiple possibilities on how involved you’d like to get in the setup. Whether you choose the “No-Questions-Asked” or the “Advanced” installation, you can rest easy as EditPad Lite will not install any toolbars, adware or make changes to your internet browser whatsoever.
EditPad Lite supports Windows 98/Me/NT4/2000/XP/Vista/Win7, and regardless of which Windows version you will install the program on, once you fire up the executable you will be prompted to replace the old Notepad with the brand new EditPad Lite.
EditPad Lite can be easily installed on thumbdrives and later used on another system without the need of performing additional setups.
In case you’d like to add a few more sprinkles on top of this already rich text editor then you might be pleased to learn that you are given the possibility to purchase EditPad Pro, which will bring EditPad to an entirely different level.
Interface
Amongst the most striking features that are to be found in EditPad Lite is the tabbed navigation and the ability to change indent, word wrap and line numbering options for each of the opened files. Furthermore, multi-language support is not left out and we have dozens of languages to choose from. EditPad Lite manages to offer a whole bunch of other features such as the search and replace option, file conversion between ASCI, ASCII, Unix and Mac formats and a highly customizable print setup.
As far as the ability to change the appearance goes, EditPad Lite offers a fair degree of customization on the toolbar section where you are given the option of using small or large icons, add or remove commands and use the Office 2003 Display Style.
Options-wise EditPad Lite has a lot to offer and it sometimes feels a bit excessive. For example the options menu contains a category dedicated in giving the option of creating shortcuts in different locations of your computer.
Overall, the user interface presented by EditPad Lite is rich, inclined towards user friendliness and does not disappoint in the least, yet there are times when you might search for a desired feature more than you should.
Pros
– Lots of useful features
– User-friendly interface
– Tabbed navigation
– Free for use
Cons
– Windows only
Alternatives
EditPad Lite is undeniably a really good product, but it’s not the only Notepad replacement to be found out there and truth be told, the competition is fierce.
Notepad++ is one of the most popular Notepad replacements out there and for good reasons. It’s all about efficiency with Notepad++ as it even declares itself as being an environmental-friendly program, with guaranteed lower CPU energy consumption. Notepad++ is a very complex program but in all fairness, it focuses more on delivering a better experience for programmers rather than the average user.
Another Notepad/EditPad Lite alternative is Gedit, a program which offers support not only for the Windows platform, but Linux and Mac altogether. Gedit is acquainted with several programming languages and offers lots of features that can be found on EditPad Lite as well, such as tab support, search, replace and more.
Conclusion
EditPad Lite is undoubtedly a better choice than your old Notepad, but is it better than other programs from its niche? Truthfully, there are quite a few similar programs out there that offer more than what you get from EditPad Lite, without requiring any sort of payment, but that doesn’t make EditPad Lite obsolete. EditPad Lite is mainly focusing on delivering a better experience to the average users and will more than satisfy your demands if you find yourself within that category.
