How to Use Notepad++ to Compile and Run Java Programs

Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure that you have Java Development Kit (JDK) and Notepad++ installed on your system. If you haven’t already installed them, you can download and install them from the following links:

• JDK: Download JDK

• Java Runtime Environment: Download JRE

• Notepad++: Download Notepad++

Once you have these prerequisites in place, proceed to the next step.

Install the NppExec Plugin in Notepad++

Open Notepad++ and navigate to the Plugins menu. Then, choose Plugins Admin to open the plugin manager.

Look for the NppExec plugin in the list and install it if it’s not already installed.

Note: If the NppExec plugin is already installed, it won’t appear in the list.

Set the Environment Variables

To configure environment variables for Java, follow the instructions below:

Open the start menu and search for Environment Variable.

Click on Edit the system environment variables.

In the user variable section, click New and add a variable named JAVA_HOME. Set the variable value to the directory where your JDK is installed.

Next, find the Path variable in the system variables list and click Edit.

Click New and add %JAVA_HOME%\bin to the list of paths. Click OK three times to save and close the properties menu.

At this point, you will need to restart your computer for the environment variables to take effect.

Run Java Program in Notepad++

Now, you’re ready to compile and run Java programs in Notepad++!

Open Notepad++, create a new file, write your Java program, and save it with a .java extension (e.g., Java_notepadpp.java).

Go to the Plugins menu and select Execute NppExec Script from the NppExec submenu.

In the script box that appears, enter the following commands:

cd $(CURRENT_DIRECTORY)
javac $(FILE_NAME)
java $(NAME_PART)

Save these commands as Java_Run.

With the commands saved, you can now run Java programs.

Again, go to Plugins and select Execute NppExec Script from NppExec.

Choose Java_Run and click OK to run your Java file in the console. You will see the program’s output in the console.

There you have it! You have successfully compiled and run a Java program within Notepad++. Feel free to explore more Java programming in Notepad++.

As an example, here’s a simple Java program:

public class Java_notepadpp {
  public static void main(String[] args) {
    System.out.println("This is a demo to run a Java program in Notepad++");
  }
}

Let’s run it to see the output:

Your Java program is now successfully compiled in Notepad++.