Did you know that it is possible to install plugins with Notepad++? If you didn’t, well, now you know. It’s a neat feature that sets the tool apart from the default Notepad program found in Windows 11/10. This is one of the many reasons why advanced users and programmers love it.
Cannot install plugins on Notepad++
Now, while the plugin feature is quite effective, users will face problems from time to time. One of those problems is the inability of users to install plugins when using Notepad++. We understand that several error messages are linked to this issue, but the most common one to appera is:
Installation Error: Installation of Plugin failed in NotePad++
So far, we’ve done some digging and came away confident that the problem can be fixed. However, bear in mind there are multiple ways to set things right again, which is why we’ve decided to talk about the most sensible ones. The steps you can take are:
- Update Notepad++ to latest version
- Open Notepad++ as an Admin
- Install plugins via Plugin Manager
- Manually install plugins
Let us talk about this in greater detail.
1] Update Notepad++ to latest version
OK, so we believe the first step is to update your note-taking tool to the newest available version. Visit the official page to solve this issue and download the latest software if you haven’t already.
You can also click on the question mark sign from within the app, then select Update Notepad++.
2] Open Notepad++ as an Admin
The next step to take if the above fails is to launch Notepad++ as an administrator.
This is easily done by right-clicking on the shortcut located on your Desktop, then select Run as administrator. Once that is done, check if you can now install plugins.
3] Install plugins via Plugin Manager
If you are installing plugins by the manual method, you may be coming across unforeseen problems. In this case, the best option is to use the Plugin Manager instead. We can do this by opening the Notepad++ application, then navigate Plugins > Plugin Admin.
When the menu appears, click on Available immediately, then use the search function to locate the plugin you want to install.
Read: How to change Text Case in Notepad++
4] Manually install plugins
The final step we want to discuss is how to install a plugin manually. Doing it with the Plugin Manager may be the cause of the “Installation Error: Installation of Compare failed” error, so going the manual route might help.
In order to do this, you must first download the updated list of Notepad++ plugins directly from SourceForge. After doing all of that, extract the contents of the downloaded archive, then copy them. From there, paste to the following:
C:\Program Files\Notepad++\plugins
You must now open Notepad++ and navigate to Settings > Import > Import Plugins.
Select the required plugin from the list, then restart the app. From here on, the plugin should work flawlessly.
READ: File too large or big for Notepad or Notepad++ to open.
