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How can I install the Notepad++ Hex-Editor plugin for Windows? The plugin seems to have been difficult to install in the past, and Notepad++ does not currently have integrated plugin management in the GUI.

(I no longer use the Notepad++ Hex-Editor, although I am using Notepad++ itself more and more. The Hex-Editor does not include undo support, which is a deal-breaker for me. Instead, I use HxD, which is both powerful and beginner-friendly.)

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  • I am using Hex-Editor plugin, and Notepad++ always disable it when upgrading. It's because, in some cases, it display wrong values. You have been warned
    – Jimbot
    Dec 5, 2018 at 14:02
  • Thanks. HxD looks like an excellent replacement until Hex-Editor is repaired.
    – Laurie Stearn
    Jan 22, 2019 at 5:44

7 Answers 7

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Update:

A lot of down votes for my answer and up votes for comment that HEX-Editor is no longer available. This is not the case, you are probably using 64-bit x64 Notepad++, install 32-bit x86 and you will have it available. Tested with Notepad++ 7.8.2 32-bit 2020-01-12.

https://notepad-plus-plus.org/downloads/

HEX-Editor source files:

https://sourceforge.net/projects/npp-plugins/files/Hex%20Editor/

If you want to use Notepad++ 64-bit you could try this unofficial repo:

https://github.com/chcg/NPP_HexEdit/releases

Original:

As of 13 Nov 2018 Plugins Admin is included in the notepad++ installer by default. Select the tab Plugins and click on Plugins Admin... then scroll down or search for HEX-Editor.

By the request of community, a built-in Plugins Admin is available in Notepad++ v.7.6.

https://notepad-plus-plus.org/news/notepad-7.6-released.html

https://notepad-plus-plus.org/features/plugin-admin.html

enter image description here

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    I have Notepad++ v7.7.1, but there is no Hex-Editor plugin available in the Plugins Admin. f0dder's URL in your screenshot (f0dder.dcmembers.com/nppplugs.index.php) does not exist anymore, and the plugins download on f0dder's current site (dcmembers.com/f0dder/download/81) does not include Hex-Editor.
    – Remy Lebeau
    Jun 26, 2019 at 23:51
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    I confirm that the unofficial plugin at github.com/chcg/NPP_HexEdit/releases works. Thank you
    – Alex Poca
    Feb 20, 2020 at 8:35
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    @AlexPoca I have downloaded HexEditor.dll. How do I install it?
    – Old Geezer
    May 21, 2020 at 3:55
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    @OldGeezer, enter C:\Program Files (x86)\Notepad++\plugins, create directory HexEditor, copy the DLL into it and restart Notepad++. You will see it under Menu Plugins.
    – Alex Poca
    May 22, 2020 at 5:48
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The Hex-Editor recommended here only works for the 32-bit version of Notepad++. Please see Ian's answer or another answer for a solution which works with a 64-bit version. I personally use HxD instead of a Notepad++ hexeditor because I'm not aware of a Notepad++ hexeditor which supports undo, which is a critical feature for me.

First, install Notepad++. I recommend installing the 64-bit version unless you have a VERY old machine. To find it, scroll down past the 32-bit version. If you know of a better link to the 64-bit version, please suggest it in the comments.

Next, download the latest HexEditor .dll plugin. I downloaded HexEditor_0_9_5_UNI_dll.zip. Do not click the big green download button (HTMLTag_plugin or etc) -- that's an ad and could be some app that's nearly impossible to get rid of.

Finally, open the zip file, select the HexEditor.dll file and place it in the folder

C:\Program Files (x86)\Notepad++\plugins\HexEditor

if you installed the 32-bit version of Notepad++ and

C:\Program Files\Notepad++\plugins\HexEditor

if you installed the 64-bit version. (For older versions of Notepad++, omit the HexEditor folder)

To test if your install was successful, restart Notepad++, and you should see a menu option Plugins -> Hex-Editor -> View in Hex. This will toggle whether you are viewing the file in hex.

The Notepad++ hex editor does not have to undo support, so I no longer use it. (I am still using Notepad++ itself.) Instead, I use HxD, which is both powerful and beginner-friendly.

Thanks to Bálint and momolang momo for pointing out the need for the HexEditor folder in newer versions.

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  • 2
    HxD was a great tip. Easy to install and use.
    – Casper
    Nov 30, 2018 at 9:33
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    The downloadable binary for the plugin seems to only work with 32bit - my 64bit NPP refused to load the plugin saying that it's incompatible because it's 32bit.
    – ChrisWue
    Feb 7, 2019 at 1:54
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    @JosiahYoder Just confirmed it for you. It wouldn't load without placing it inside a folder with the same name.
    – Bálint
    May 18, 2019 at 0:34
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    -1, this only works for 32bit Notepad++, which is very outdated
    – jcollum
    Oct 18, 2019 at 1:52
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    @JosiahYoder The problem is not NPP, the problem is that the HexEditor plugin is only 32bit and therefore can't be loaded by x64 NPP.
    – Ian Kemp
    Dec 9, 2019 at 10:30
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Notepad++ does not have integrated plugin management in the GUI.

Notes:

  • The Plugin Manager was removed from Notepad++ 7.5 because of sponsored advertising (see the second screenshot in the answer), although it will still be there if you upgraded from an older version of Notepad++.

    You may notice that Plugin Manager plugin has been removed from the official distribution. The reason is Plugin Manager contains the advertising in its dialog. I hate Ads in applications, and I ensure you that there was no, and there will never be Ads in Notepad++. A built-in Plugin Manager is in progress, and I will do my best to ship it with Notepad++ ASAP.

  • This is currently being worked on (the maintainer of the plugin and the plugin list will be integrating free hosting into the plugin manager to get rid of the advertising)

  • In the meantime you can install it manually (download here).

It is advised to still use the Plugin Manager (as this manages updating of your installed plugins)

  1. Click Menu > Plugins > Plugin Manager > Show Plugin Manager

    enter image description here

  2. This now shows a list of available plugins, including Hex-Editor:

    enter image description here

  3. Select the Hex-Editor plugin and then click Install.

    enter image description here

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    I do not see that menu option. I have a "Plugins" menu, but no "Plugin Manager" sub-menu. I'm using Notepad++ v7.5.6 32 bit. Could the plugin manager itself be a plugin?
    – Josiah Yoder
    May 23, 2018 at 15:28
  • Indeed it is now, I didn't realise. See updated answer.
    – DavidPostill ♦
    May 23, 2018 at 17:39
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    Perhaps things have changed since May, but HEX-editor is no longer in the list of available plugins in the plugin manager. (edit: this might be because I'm running 64-bit npp)
    – csauve
    Aug 30, 2018 at 18:34
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    @csauve Could be. I'm running 32bit notepad++
    – DavidPostill ♦
    Aug 30, 2018 at 19:24
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    @csauve I found a 64-bit version on GitHub: NPP HexEdit. Just download the HexEditor_0.9.5.19_x64.zip version.
    – Mr. Polywhirl
    Sep 18, 2018 at 23:56
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As of 2019, the original HexEditor plugin for Notepad++ has been abandoned for a decade. The source and 32-bit binary of version 0.9.5 is available on SourceForge, but this isn't helpful for users of 64-bit NPP (probably the majority nowadays).

Thankfully there are various forks of the original HexEditor source code available on GitHub, and one of them has prebuilt x64 binaries available for download:

https://github.com/chcg/NPP_HexEdit/releases/tag/0.9.5.19

Download HexEditor_0.9.5.19_x64.zip from the above link, create the directory %ProgramFiles%\Notepad++\plugins\HexEditor, extract the downloaded HexEditor.dll into that directory, and restart NPP.

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    This is the right answer, and the right path to put the plugin once downloaded.
    – not2qubit
    Jan 11, 2020 at 12:05
  • Using HexEditor_0.9.5.19_x64.zip together with Notepad++ version 7.9.5 (64-bit) resulted in an Access Violation. But HexEditor_0.9.8_x64.zip worked fine, it can be downloaded from github.com/chcg/NPP_HexEdit/releases.
    – Anlo
    Apr 16, 2021 at 8:01
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If the solutions above do not work, try the following:

  1. Get the correct DLL from this folder https://github.com/chcg/NPP_HexEdit/releases (you're probably on 64bit Windows if you aren't sure)

  2. Open the following folder (insert your username):

    C:\Users\<User name>\AppData\Local\Notepad++\plugins

  3. Create a subfolder HexEditor

  4. Copy the HexEditor.dll file into this subfolder. Windows will probably request permission to do this.

  5. Restart Notepad++

This worked for me on Notepad++ 7.6 32bit

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  • 1
    This is the simplest answer that worked for me on Notepad v7.7.1
    – jcollum
    Oct 18, 2019 at 1:55
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    This works for me too (Notepad++ v7.8.1 64-bit)...
    – aschipfl
    Dec 1, 2019 at 19:11
  • Why are you using a user AppData path and not the %ProgramFiles%?
    – not2qubit
    Jan 11, 2020 at 12:06
  • I seem to remember it related to how Notepad++ was originally installed, i.e single user or all users. On my machine, that folder contained other related files.
    – Martin Evans
    Jan 11, 2020 at 14:44
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  1. Extract dll file from zip after downloading from https://github.com/chcg/NPP_HexEdit/releases
  2. Have Notepad++ open, Click settings->Import->Import Plugin(s)...
  3. Select the dll file needs to be import
  4. Close Notepad++ and reopen
  5. The Hex-Editor will show under plugins
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-2

Adding HexEditor.dll to AppData does not work for me. But by create a C:\Program Files\Notepad++\plugins\HexEditor and put the dll into it, then it work fine for me.

I am using Npp v7.6.6 (64-bit) on window 10

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    This solution was suggested a year ago.
    – Ramhound
    May 17, 2019 at 3:18
  • oh really? I did not see it on this thread. Anyway hope it work for others.
    – Momolang momo
    May 17, 2019 at 3:20
  • It was submitted on May 19 2018.
    – Ramhound
    May 17, 2019 at 3:21
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    This suggested exactly that.
    – Ramhound
    May 17, 2019 at 3:44
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    This question did make a contribution to my answer above. Thank you, momolang momo!
    – Josiah Yoder
    May 18, 2019 at 19:12

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