Since it came out in 2003, Notepad++ has become one of the most used editors for Windows. Fans of the editor, which has been downloaded more than 20 million times, love how simple and fast it is.
Notepad++ has syntax highlighting for 78 different programming languages, which is a useful feature for coders. This article will show you how to change the color of syntax highlighting for any language.
How to Modify Color Syntax in Notepad++?
Before you can change the color syntax (syntax highlighting) for your code in Notepad++, you need to make sure that the right language is selected. Click on “Language,” then find your coding language and choose it.
In our example, we are working with a Javascript file, so we made sure that “Language->J->Javascript” was selected in Notepad++.
Once you select the correct language, follow these steps to change the color syntax.
- Click Settings
- Click Style Configurator
- Under the Language column, select the language you are working with.
- Under the Style column, select the part of the syntax you would like to modify.
- Change your color under Colour Style.
For example, if you don’t like the color of the strings in a Javascript file, you would go to Language: Javascript, Style: STRING, and change the Foreground color to whatever you like.
Styles are saved to the chosen theme by the Style Configurator. At the top of the Style Configurator, click the “Select theme” dropdown and choose a different theme to change your theme.
But any changes you made to the style of the other theme won’t be carried over.
How to Create Your Own Language Syntax Highlighting?
Notepad++ allows you to define your language if it doesn’t already support it. Follow these steps to create your language:
- Click Language.
- Click User Defined Language.
- Click Define your language.
- Click on the Keywords Lists tab.
- Enter your keywords and styles.
This screen has many color customization options, but the Keywords Lists are a great place to start.
How to Disable Syntax Highlighting?
To disable syntax highlighting, click on “Language” and then “None (Normal Text).” You can always change back to a specific language later if you like.
You now know how to change the colors of syntax in notepad++, which is also called syntax highlighting. If you like editors that you can change a lot, you should check out Vim.
