Notepad++

§Notepad++

§Install using Git

If you are a Git user, you can install the themes and keep up to date by cloning the repo:

git clone https://github.com/dracula/notepad-plus-plus.git

After cloning, the built theme files live under generated/ in the repository (generated/Dracula.xml and generated/Alucard.xml). Copy the file you want from there into your Notepad++ themes folder (see Activating theme below). To build or refresh the XML locally from source, follow build.md.

Or download the theme file you want:

• Dracula theme (dark): Download Dracula.xml
• Alucard theme (light): Download Alucard.xml

Right-click the link and select "Save link as..." or "Save target as..." to download the file. These URLs track the main branch; if an older guide points at master or a Dracula.xml at the repository root, use the links above instead.

§Activating theme

1. Open File Explorer and navigate to your Notepad++ themes folder:

   • Press Win + R, type %AppData%\Notepad++\themes and press Enter
   • Or manually go to: C:\Users\YourUsername\AppData\Roaming\Notepad++\themes
   • If you have a portable installation, go to your Notepad++ folder and open the themes folder

2. Copy the downloaded theme file (Dracula.xml or Alucard.xml) into this themes folder

3. Restart Notepad++

4. Go to Settings > Style Configurator > Theme and select your theme from the dropdown menu, then click "Save & Close". 💜

If the editor still looks like the default black-and-white scheme, confirm the theme is selected in that dropdown (not Default) and that you restarted Notepad++ after copying the file.

§Troubleshooting tab colors (active/inactive tabs)

If tab text or tab backgrounds do not match the theme (for example, unreadable active/inactive tab contrast), check these Notepad++ settings:

1. Settings > Preferences > General
   • Enable inactive tab colorization, otherwise inactive tabs can keep default background colors.
2. Settings > Preferences > Dark Mode
   • Newer Notepad++ builds can use dedicated dark-mode tab colors instead of theme tab colors.
3. Advanced config (config.xml)
   • If needed, enable darkTabUseTheme (and lightTabUseTheme for light mode) so tab backgrounds follow theme colors.

Notepad++ can prioritize dark-mode defaults over theme tab colors depending on configuration, so this behavior is not always caused by a broken theme XML file.

§Language and file extensions

• .cfg files: This theme styles them under the ini file lexer (same as .ini). If a .cfg file opens as plain text, use Language → I → ini file (or Language → Define your language… / Settings → Style Configurator to associate the extension with ini file).
• VHDL: Use Language → H → VHDL after installing the theme; the lexer is included in the generated XML.