Crypto Notepad

It is often necessary to protect important notes in order to prevent them from being accessed by others, but text editors that offer encryption features are sometimes too complex for users who just want a secure Notepad alternative.

Crypto Notepad stands out through its relatively simple design, as it looks very similar to the standard Windows Notepad. It offers a few extra features, such as encryption and a customizable UI, but it remains lightweight and very easy to use.

When launched for the first time, the application gives you the option of using your MAC address as a "salt", which is a second encryption key that can be changed at any time from the program’s settings.

All notes are secured using a password that is provided when saving the files, and you can customize various encryption settings, such as the hash algorithm, key size and the number of iterations.

Crypto Notepad is very easy to use, as anyone who is familiar with the classic Windows Notepad should find its interface and features to be self-explanatory. It comes with a handy search function that highlights matches in the text, but it does not allow you to replace items.

From a visual standpoint, you can personalize the application to a great extent. Aside from changing the default font and text size, you can also modify the font and background color, as well as hide the toolbar.

In addition to being very lightweight, this utility can be run from any location without being installed on your PC beforehand. This means you can place it on a portable storage device and use it to create secure notes on the go.

On the whole, Crypto Notepad is a well-designed text editor suitable for any user who wishes to write notes that cannot be accessed by others. It features a Notepad-like but customizable UI, and it offers multiple encryption modes that can help you keep documents private.