Notepad Mobile
This is a simple text editor for Windows Mobile. It allows you to open text (and other text based) files.
Screenshots | Download | Version History
Why use Notepad Mobile?
There are many alternatives of Notepad Mobile. But if you are looking for stable, hassle-free, low on memory usage, fast to load text editor… Notepad Mobile is your answer.
The application has been developed keeping in mind what Microsoft would have done if it designed a Notepad for Mobile. It would also have had been basic, fast to load and pure text editor.
Over 11,870 downloads within a month of its release!
Product Features
- Open, create and save text files and any other text-based files like HTML files and XML files.
- Supports cut/copy/paste by right click (tap and hold on text area).
- Advanced and easy-to-use “Find and Replace” feature with in-line highlighting that is robust and works well with large files.
- Fullscreen support. More space for editing text than most other editors.
- Supports zoom-in and zoom-out for better readability or to fit long text.
- Change between fixed-width and variable-width font styles.
- Text input area resizes as-per SIP (virtual keyboard) space and available screen size.
- Supports both vertical and horizontal screen orientation.
- Easily integrates with “open-with” explorer plug-in, “Send-to” feature of gsFinder and with other file explorers.
- It is a standalone executable (no installation required.)
- Extremely light-weight, with minimum memory consumption and comparatively faster to load.
- Does not “lock” a file while it is being edited.
- Works with .NET Compact Framework 2.0 or above and is compatible with Windows Mobile 5, 6, 6.1 and 6.5.
- Orientation aware, resolution aware, zero idle-time CPU usage.
Download Notepad Mobile
Download Notepad Mobile (version 1.6, 24.2 kB, 38734 dowloads)
Simply extract the downloaded file into any directory (preferably /Program Files) on your Windows Mobile device and run it.
Screenshots of Notepad Mobile
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- Notepad Mobile on Windows Mobile 6.5
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- Notepad Mobile FullScreen
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- Notepad Mobile Innovative and Fast Find and Replace
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- Notepad Mobile Zoom-Out To Fill Screen
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- Notepad Mobile Zoom-In To Read Big
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- Notepad Mobile Word Count
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- Notepad Mobile on Windows Mobile 6.1
Do More With Notepad Mobile
If you want to create shortcut of Notepad Mobile in your Windows Mobile Start Menu, you may use the freeware software Shortcut Maker.
For users, who wish to overcome the limitations of Windows Mobile’s native open/save dialog boxes, can install File Dialog Changer.
To associate text (.txt) files or other such files with Notepad Mobile, try using myExtensions.
Additional Information
You may check out this xda-forum post for more information and user testimonials.
Rated 4 out of 5 under MobileTopSoft and FrewarePocketPC FrewarePocketPC downloads.
With so many people downloading this application, it would be prospective towards the development of this application if you could please report bug or request feature on the Project Feedback page.
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{ 51 comments… read them below or add one }
Thanks for this app! Would be nice if one could associate file extensions to it.
Notepad Mobile Version: 1.5
I will make a final installer for it as soon as I solve the UTF-8 issue. Then you may use the installer to associate it with .txt files.
However, there is a nice Open With Explorer Plugin that allows you to open any file with any application. You may try it and lemme know.
Will this work on wm6.0 or 6.1 STD??
This will surely work on any WM platform capable of running Microsoft .NET Compact Framework 2.
Hello, Just this message to thank you for this light-weight tool, more than handy to browse INI files without locking the file (like PWORD does) If you need a translator to make a French version, i’m willing to help… Let me know !
Thanks a ton for your appreciation. I will very soon convert this application to have an installer along with a portable version. The day i start working on it, I will send you the translation resource file.
Need italian version of this nice and essential application. My vote: 10/10
Thanks Paolo. Translation job will begin very soon. Before that, this application needs to be packaged (cabbed) and a few more features added. I will personally get in touch with you once things are on its way.
I like Notepad Mobile very much, and and am now using it as my default text editor. Thanks a million!
— pertinent to version 1.5 —
Nevertheless, I have run across one bug in version 1.5: Whenever I switch off the word wrap, I lose the tap & hold context menu. If I switch word wrap back on, it doesn’t help, so I need to restart the program.
Regarding the UTF-8 issue, I’m getting full UTF-8 support with the program, so I’m not sure exactly what the issue is about.
Thanks a lot for using Notepad Mobile. I hope that very soon it will become more useful for you.
— pertinent to version 1.5 —
Indeed the bug you have reported is true. I am looking into it and would fix it in my next release.
Regarding UTF-8, I am reported that they open fine. But, when you save them, it gets saved as ASCII.
I’ve been experimenting with it, and whenever I save an existing UTF-8 file as a new file, it’s still in UTF-8, at least it looks correct when loaded into other UTF-8 editors. Just to be sure, I use some extended characters, but everything still looks fine.
I’ve noticed that the other .NET CF editors I’ve tried all use UTF-8. Is this chosen by the developer, or a default in .NET CF? The default on my device is ANSI, which also supports extended characters.
A BETA version has been uploaded on the xda-developer forum. Download, test and do give me feedback.
New feature: Fullscreen option. Bug Fix: WordWrap issue (reported by Gerry.) Performance Fix: Resize routine optimized.
After the v1.6 launch, I will cleanup the comments that are not pertinent to the new release. This would avoid confusion among other/new downloaders.
I’ve given 1.6 beta a thorough test. Thanks for fixing that word wrap bug. No further problems have shown up, and it’s nice to have the extra editing space provided by that full-screen option.
Gerry
Updated Notepad Mobile to Version 1.6. See changelog at: http://www.shamasis.net/projects/notepad-mobile/version-history/
Thanks to Gerry, Foliator and rest of xda-developers for testing out the BETA.
Thanks.
I Rank this 9/10.
Can you add spelling checking featute in this.
Reply.
Regards: Naresh ( India)
Naresh, adding a spell-checker will significantly reduce the performance of this application and consequently will ruin the whole purpose / USP of this software: “Fast, Stable Text Editor”
Thanks for the new version 1.6.0!
bugs find in version 1.6.0:
- if i open existing txt file, the italian accent characters as à, è, ù and other are not show (them are truncated)
- if i write with Notepad 1.6 new txt file using italian accent characters as à, è, ù and other they are right show. If i open with notepad this new file write with Notepad all caracters are right show. But… if i open this new file with Word Mobile the italian accent characters as à, è, ù and other are not correct show (one accent characters are replaced with 2 other “casual” caracters…
Yes! You are right. I have observed this as this issue was reported earlier by Foliator at xda-developers.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=4349783&postcount=94 and http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=4293981&postcount=75
The issue seems to be in the difference the way UTF-8 signature is handled by different editors. Let me see how I can work it out.
That’s true, Shamasis. Just for clarification, when saving in UTF-8, some editors place a three-byte signature at the top of the document. It can be seen in the file if opened by the built-in editor in Total Commander, which doesn’t support UTF-8, and it looks like this: 
cke inserts it, for example, but others, including Notepad Mobile, do not. I’ve noticed that Word will display a UTF-8 encoded file correctly if that signature is present, otherwise the extended characters won’t be recognized.
By the way, cke correctly identifies the files created by your editor as UTF-8 whenever they contain accents, etc., but as ANSI if there are no special characters.
Anyway, the official 1.6 release is running very smoothly here. Great work!
Gerry
aka Foliator
Hey Gerry… you are Foliator!!!
I am very pleased to meet you. Thanks a tonne for your feedback. The 3-byte  BOM should ideally be put in by .NET stream writer, but it is not. I am looking into a workaround.
That’s understandable, Shamasis, because two other .NET text editors I’ve tried also omit that string.
Working around the limitations of .NET CF appears to be quite a challenge! But then I wouldn’t know, because I haven’t written a single program since the days of MS-DOS and BASIC (ancient history).
My two cents: it seems with both 1.5 and 1.6 there are some problems showing the end of “big” files (mine bigger is about 75KBytes, not so big!).
Tested with a new HTC Touch Pro2, WM6.1.
Thank you for your precious work!
This is a known issue of Microsoft DOTNET Compact Framework of Windows Mobile. Doing a workaround might considerably impact performance of this application. Hence, I have kept the resolution to this as a lower priority job.
Fixing the root is not always easy. 
uops. Sorry for duplicated request.
Which is actually the file size limit? I’ll try to split the file into more files.
Thank you very much!
I can’t run the Notepad.exe program. It says Notepad.exe has stopped working.
I use Windows Vista and my husband use s XP and he coulodn’t open it either. Please advise.
Notepad.exe is not meant to be run on your PC. You need to directly run it from within our Windows Mobile device. Simply extract the downloaded file into any directory (preferably /Program Files) on your Windows Mobile device and run it from there.
Hello,
)
I’ve tested the V1.16 version, it looks like encoding for éàè characters is bad… like V1.15
Also, i’ve tried to open ‘big’ files with the Notepad (Soft LOGS, only 100KB), but the display is a little buggy at the end of the file : Blank screen, or the repeat of the last line displayed, like in memory leaks…
Hope this will be corrected soon… Looking forward for the TXT file to translate this good app in French ! (Maybe with Pocket Notepad ???
I get problems to open not-so-big files (html & txt): 500 KB ones.
otherwise, nice job.
– pertinent to version 1.6 –
I’m probably being very stupid with something, but I have installed this on my MDA Mail smartphone (Windows Mobile). However, every time I try to run it I just get a “An unexpected error has occured” message straight away. The details say it is a “Not Supported Exception”.
The version is Mobile 6 Standard, CE OS 5.2.1620
– pertinent to version 1.6 –
As of now, non-touchscreen phones and Windows Mobile Standard is not supported.
– applicable to Notepad Mobile v1.6 –
Great apps sir, thanks a lot for it! May I suggest “Auto open last” option and “Recent file list”? That would be nice!
You are most welcome. Glad to be of your help. The two features you mentioned are on the top of my wishlist.
Will update you as soon as I release them.
This program is exactly what I was looking for. Thanks so much. The only problem is that it is not showing in Programs on my device. I actually have to go into File Explorer and open Program Files just to launch it. Am I missing something?
– pertinent to version 1.6 –
You are not doing anything wrong. Notepad Mobile is a portable application and does not have an installer as of yet. You have two options: (1) Notepad Mobile 1.7 will have an installer that will create a shortcut in “Programs” section or (2) You can manually create a shortcut by going copying Notepad.exe file and then doing a “Paste Shortcut” inside /Windows/Start Menu/Programs/ folder.
There is also a freeware software that can help you add Start Menu shortcuts: http://www.freewarepocketpc.net/ppc-download-shortcut-maker.html
Very nice application, thank you very much. Is there any option that when I open Notepad, to open directly the last viewed/ saved document? Maybe a notation in the registry?
Its on my list of features to be added. But I am unable to devote much time to it. But I guess, I will do it ASAP.
Hi! Just tried to run Notepad Mobile in my Samsung SGH-i321N with Windows Mobile 5.0 but get an error msg: NotSupportedException at Microsoft.AGL.Common.MISC.HandleAr() at etc. etc.
Any idea how to solve it? Thanks in advance!
I ran into the same problem with my Samsung i637 Jack running Windows Mobile 6.5
Shamasis, this isn’t a feature request, but merely a question:On what does Notepad Mobile base its default font faces of Tahoma for proportional and Courier New for monospaced? Is it basing these on the WinMo system fonts, or are they hard-coded in your app?What brought this up is that I recently changed my device’s system font face in the registry (\\\Registry\HKLM\System\GDI\SYSFNT\Nm) from Tahoma to Arial Bold, due to my poor vision, and soft reset the device. This has improved the visibility in many apps wherever they use the system font, so I figured that it might also work in your program. I exited Notepad Mobile and deleted its registry key, but when it was restored after a restart, Tahoma and Courier New were still there. Changing them manually doesn’t work, either.Aside from a new font choice option in the editor, which might compromise its stability and speed (not to mention your spare time), is there any way to change this — perhaps a registry key I’m not aware of?
Uhm… as usual yiu guessed right.
The fonts are hard-coded. This is because, WinMo has no “definition” of fixed-width fonts. What I may do, as I have already chalked out the feature list, is provide a Font Choice in the new settings sub-app that we were discussing long back.
However, next time onwards, please don’t be so formal. You are always welcome to put forward your suggestions as I feel that you have contributed a lot towards the evolution of this app and I give all credits for that.
this is a wonderful text editor so long as you don’t try editing files that don’t have extension, only dots eg “file..”
What happens then?
@mohnkee, I’ve found that Notepad Mobile can edit any text file, even one with an unsupported file extension or no extension at all, as long as you select “All Files” in the Open and Save dialogues. Otherwise the program, like most plain-text editors, will append the conventional “.txt” to your file name. I just tried it, and it worked just fine with a file name ending in three dots and no extension, as well as one with neither dots nor extension. Naturally you wouldn’t be able to associate such files with Notepad Mobile, or any other editor, for that matter.
Thanks, Shamasis. Sounds like a good plan.
@mohnkee, try selecting “All files” in the Save and Open dialogues; this will prevent the editor from using the default extension. Notepad Mobile can definitely open plain-text files with just dots or even no extensions at all; I’ve used it that way on a number of occasions.
Thanks, Shamasis. By system font, I was referring to the proportional font that usually appears by default in programs that don’t offer a choice of font faces. It also appears in such places as the address bar in PIE, etc. Now that I tweaked the registry, the default of Tahoma 9 Regular no longer appears there; now it’s Arial 9 Bold, but some other programs besides Notepad Mobile don’t seem to recognize the change, either. As for the fixed-width font of Courier New, it’s very faint on my device. I now use DejaVu Sans Mono Bold, which I downloaded from the web, but I can’t force apps such as PIE to use it in forms and such, since I can’t find an entry in the registry that controls it. Anyway, your plan sounds like a good one!
Wow! Sorry about the two repeated posts. The submissions didn’t seem to go through the first time. I lost them altogether, and had to recreate them from scratch.
Thanks shamasis… It’s worked
Hi Shamasis, works great but how do you open a file that isn’t in the list of folders, for instance a file in a system folder such as “Program Files” or “Windows” ? These don’t appear as options in the drop down list. Thanks.
I am aware of the issue. This issue is with all Windows Mobile applications that uses Windows Mobile’s own file open/save dialog box. Due to performance issues, I am currently restricted to using Windows Mobile’s native open/save dialog boxes.
Users of Notepad Mobile has come up with alternatives like File Dialog Changer (thanks to Gerry), that does the trick.
That link for File Dialog Changer eventually leads to a Yahoo error page in Japanese. Here’s a direct link; I just checked it and it’s still valid:
http://www.geocities.co.jp/SiliconValley-Cupertino/2039/filedlgchg.zip
Don’t forget to use it in conjunction with gsgetfile.dll, which is here:
http://www.prco.jp/~shinichi/dl/dl.php?dl=30
You’ll wind up with two small files, filedlgchg.cpl and gsgetfile.dll, both of which belong in the \Windows folder.
Works like a charm, not only with Notepad Mobile, but with most other apps that use file dialogues.