Are you looking for the best code editors to edit WordPress theme files?
Well, you can use any plain text editor such as NotePad. However, there are better code editors out there with features like syntax highlighting, advanced find and replace option, FTP integration, and more.
In this article, we will show you some of the best code editors available for Mac and Windows users.
Without further delay, let’s take a look at some of the best code editors for Mac and Windows.
1. Notepad++
Notepad++ is a free and open-source code editor for Windows. It is easy to use for beginners and highly powerful for advanced users.
It comes with syntax highlighting for many languages including PHP, JavaScript, HTML, and CSS. It also comes with a built-in FTP plugin that allows you to connect to your server and edit files directly without leaving the editor.
2. Komodo IDE
Komodo IDE is a free and fast code editor for Mac, Windows, and Linux users. It lets you work on multiple popular programming languages, including PHP, Python, Perl, Ruby, Node.js, Javascript, and more.
It also offers powerful tools for developers to collaborate and work together. Moreover, it comes with syntax highlighting, autocomplete, visual debugger, workflow management, and live preview options.
3. Sublime Text
Sublime Text is a cross-platform code editor for Mac, Windows, and Linux. It comes with all the features you would expect from a powerful code editor and then some more.
It looks beautiful and you can tweak the appearance to make it more comfortable for you. Sublime Text comes with advanced code editor features which allow you to autofill, autocomplete, reference function in a file, multiple selections, split editing, and many more.
4. TextMate
TextMate promises to bring Apple’s approach to operating systems into a text editor. TextMate is a simple yet feature-rich code editor for Mac.
Easy clipboard management, sophisticated find and replace autocompletion, and foldable code blocks, are some of the powerful features of TextMate.
5. BBEdit
BBEdit is a beautiful code and HTML editor for Mac. It comes with all the advanced features of a powerful code editor.
Syntax highlighting, advanced find and replace, autocompletion, quick lookup, multiple tabs, splittable editing windows, and much more.
6. UltraEdit
UltraEdit is a powerful HTML and Code editor available for Mac, Windows, and Linux. It comes with a built-in file comparison utility, autocompletion, advanced layout, and more.
Moreover, it offers multi-tab, multi-pane editors, and syntax highlighting for the most popular programming languages.
7. Vim
Vim is an advanced text editor that brings the power of Vi to an equally powerful feature set. Vim is open-source and available for Mac, Windows, and Linux.
The code editor is so powerful and advanced that it’s considered to be an IDE in its own way.
8. Textastic
Textastic is a simple text and code editor for macOS and iOS devices. It connects with your iCloud Drive to sync files and data into the code editor easily.
The editor uses the native macOS APIs for fast code editing and processing. It has a syntax coloring engine based on the iOS source code editor. Textastic lets you import code from other editors like TextMate and Sublime Text.
9. Araneae
Araneae is a free text and code editor for Windows with complete options to develop websites. It comes with a simple interface to add scripts and run tests online.
The Araneae editor supports HTML, CSS, PHP, Javascript, Ruby, and other popular programming languages. It comes with syntax highlighting, instant browser preview, custom quick clips, tabbed multi-document, and drag and drop support.
10. CoffeeCup HTML Editor
CoffeeCup HTML Editor is an easy-to-use HTML editor for Windows. It supports PHP, HTML, Markdown, and CSS and allows you to use autocomplete, syntax validation, and semantic code, among many other features.
CoffeeCup HTML editor is not the ideal code editor for many other languages but if you want to learn to write PHP, HTML, and CSS, then Coffee Cup HTML editor is a good place to start.
11. Espresso
Espresso is a web development tool for Mac. It comes with a powerful code editor and built-in CSSEdit.
It comes with a beautiful interface and advanced features like drag and drop code snippets, code folding, navigator, live styling, and X-ray preview.
We hope this article helped you find the perfect code editor for your needs. You may also want to check out our guide on how to customize WordPress excerpts (no coding required).
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oveyse says
i love notepad++ it is really good
WPBeginner Support says
Thanks for sharing your recommendation
Admin
Aliyu kamilu says
I love sublime text and i go for it
WPBeginner Support says
Thanks for sharing which editor you prefer
Admin
Niall Chen says
Hi, I’m looking for a CSS editor which can export mutiple *.css files with one CSS structure. These CSS files are same and only different with the value of some attribute, for example, color: #FFF in a.css and color: #000 in b.css….etc.,, the structure in these files are same, I want to export hundreds file for compare their difference in web browser, please give me some suggestion for applicable CSS editor software, thanks so much~
Chris says
No word on PHPSTorm ?
Chris Raymond says
Nice round-up, but it would have been even better if you’d highlighted the specific integrations, if any, with WordPress php. As it is, the title promises more than this round-up seems to deliver.
For example, I think Textmate had or has a “bundle” for WordPress php and components.
Grant Rhymes says
A number of very good editors here. I also like Metapad and Context Editor. Both are free. (I use Metapad more than any other editor except maybe KM tools like Evernote, OneNote, etc. Metapad is old but very stable, lean, and fast.)
StageCoachDriver says
I grew up on Eclipse but when I retired and switched from Java to PHP, I switched to NetBeans. It not only checks syntax and supports keyword completion, it also supports debugging with breakpoints and watches along with single stepping. And it runs on any Java supported machine plus the price fits my budget – free.
Ayman says
please STAGECOACHDRIVER,
can you please suggest a link or video explain how can i debug WP in netbeans and how can i enable autocomplete ?
Yves says
You forgot the rel=”nofollow” for #10 Brackets.
WPBeginner Support says
Thanks
Admin
Anselm Urban says
Great post
I use Brackets, it´s one of the best in my opinion. For more general purposes, I use Notepad++. On the iPad, I use Diet Coda, a very well designed and powerful app. I also tried Atom but wasn´t that satisfied…
BTW, I also have a blog where I sometimes write about WordPress.
Darryl Schmidt says
I LOVE ShiftEdit, which is a Chrome app. I use a lot of different computers and all my sites are available no matter where I am.
Matthew says
I use both Notepad++ and Brackets. Notepad++ is great for a quick file edit, while Brackets makes it easy to quickly work on multiple files at the same time.
Kim says
Hii!
I know it’s not ideal but is there something that can be used on an ipad?
WPBeginner Support says
You might enjoy working with Diet Coda, it is iPad version of Coda. There are some other free code editors too in the app store.
Admin
Robert says
I would suggest Netbeans makes a great, free IDE for WordPress (especially if you use the WordPress plugins).
Marvin says
IDE !== Text / Code Editor
But yes, Netbeans is a nice tool
Kevin Gates says
Having used Coda 2 for the past 2 years, I would highly recommend it. Its advanced code editing, FTP features, and preview / web-browser functionality make this a breeze to use. A “1-stop shop” for web development.
+1 for Coda.
Grant says
Komodo Edit ftw