Text Edit Plus: The Ultimate Lightweight Editor for Faster Writing

10 Hidden Features in Text Edit Plus You Should Be Using

1. Multi-caret editing

Place multiple cursors to edit several lines at once — great for renaming variables or aligning columns. Use Ctrl/Cmd+Click to add carets and Ctrl/Cmd+Shift+Arrow to expand selections.

2. Column (block) selection

Select rectangular text blocks (columns) to edit tabular data or code columns. Toggle with Alt (Option) + Drag or use the Edit menu’s “Column Selection” command.

3. Quick file switcher

Press Ctrl/Cmd+P to open the fuzzy file switcher, type part of a filename, and jump instantly between open or recent files.

4. Snippets and autocomplete

Create custom text snippets (prefix → expansion) for boilerplate, frequent phrases, or code templates. Trigger with Tab after typing the snippet prefix.

5. Command palette

Open the command palette (Ctrl/Cmd+Shift+P) to run any action by name — change themes, run formatting, toggle settings — without hunting through menus.

6. Regex find & replace with live preview

Enable regex mode in Find/Replace to run complex pattern edits across a file or project; the live preview highlights matches and replacement results before applying.

7. Integrated terminal

Toggle an embedded terminal panel to run build, git, or scripts without leaving the editor (usually with Ctrl/Cmd+`).

8. Project-wide symbol search

Search symbols (functions, classes, headings) across the entire project and jump directly to definitions — use the Symbols or Outline view, or Ctrl/Cmd+Shift+O.

9. File and workspace bookmarks

Set bookmarks in files to mark important lines and navigate between them quickly. Use shortcut keys to jump forward/back through bookmarks in a workspace.

10. Live collaboration (shareable sessions)

Start a live editing session to invite teammates to collaborate in real time, with presence indicators and synchronized cursors; send a share link from the Share/Collaborate menu.

If you want, I can provide keyboard shortcuts tailored to your OS (Windows, macOS, or Linux) or a short how-to for any single feature.