Install Spellcheck for Notepad++ on Windows
Posted by alex in Insights at 8:36 PMNotepad++ is an upgraded notepad application that provides a lot of functionality past the typical notepad application in Windows. Not only does it provide a tab system to view multiple files easily at the same time but it provides functionality to open and edit many more file types. To add spellcheck to Notepad++ you will need to download and install Aspell which you can complete by using the directions below.
- Download Aspell: Visit Aspell’s web site here, download the full installer, and at least one precompiled dictionary. Make sure you are installing the win32 versions of each file.
- Install Aspell: Now double click on the Aspell full installer which will be titled something like Aspell-0-50-3-3-Setup.exe. This will launch the installer and you will have to click Next a few times and choose what icons you also want installed. Keep the default location for the installation which will be C:\Program Files\Aspell.
- Install Dictionary: Now double click on the precompiled dictionary you have downloaded which in my case was the English dictionary and the file name was Aspell-en-0.50-2-3.exe. This will install an English dictionary into Aspell and allow you to start using it. You can install multiple dictionaries if you would like to spellcheck in multiple languages.
- Configure Notepad++: Now click on Notepad++ and it will ask the location of Aspell so type the following into the location field minus the quotes, “C:\Program Files\Aspell\bin”.
- Test Spellcheck: Now restart Notepad++, enter some text into a new file, and click the spellcheck button to see if it is working.
That is all that is required to have spellcheck begin to work with Notepad++. Remember that in the future if you install an application that needs some form of spellcheck you will more than likely be able to use Aspell.
