FindPad
A fast, focused text & code editor for Mac - with search that actually finds things.
Why I built it
I spend most of my day in text and code, and I kept hitting the same wall: I’d have a handful of files open and want to find every place a word shows up - not just the next one, and ideally across all of them at once. Most Mac editors either couldn’t do it or made it a chore.
I wanted a fast, no-fuss editor where “find all” - in a document, or across every open document - just works, without booting up a heavyweight IDE. FindPad is that editor: the one I reach for a dozen times a day.
— Ron
What it does
Tabbed editing
Keep every file you're working on in one tidy window.
Syntax highlighting
Swift, Python, JS/TS, JSON, HTML, XML, CSS, shell, C/C++, Go, Rust, Markdown and logs.
Search that finds things
Find Next, Find All in a file, or Find All across every open document at once.
Find & Replace
Replace one match or all of them in a single undo - with match-case and whole-word toggles.
Highlight & filter
Highlight every match at once, or filter to just the matching lines - a quick grep view that keeps the real line numbers.
Go to line
Jump straight to any line number with ⌘L.
One-key JSON format
Pretty-print messy JSON with ⇧⌘J.
Made for reading
Line numbers, word wrap and current-line highlight - each toggleable.
Always in sync
Detects when a file changes on disk and can reload it automatically.
Open Recent
Jump back to recent files - even inside the App Sandbox.
Opens from Finder
Set FindPad as the “Open With” editor for any text file.
Need help?
Questions, bugs, or ideas — I read every message.
rons.apps26@gmail.comFrequently asked questions
How do I open a file?
Use File → Open… (⌘O), drop a file onto the window, or right-click a file in Finder and choose Open With → FindPad. Recently opened files are under File → Open Recent.
How does search across all documents work?
Press ⌘F to open the search panel. Pick a mode: Find Next jumps through the current file, Find All in Document lists every match in the active file, and Find All in All Documents searches every open tab at once. Click any result to jump straight to it. Use the Aa and W toggles for match-case and whole-word.
Can I find and replace text?
Yes. Open Find & Replace with ⌥⌘F, type what to find and what to replace it with, then Replace the current match or Replace All at once - and Replace All is a single undo if you change your mind. The match-case and whole-word toggles apply here too.
Can I highlight or filter to just the matches?
Both. Highlight all matches tints every occurrence in the editor (on by default, toggleable), and Filter Lines hides everything except the lines that match - a quick grep view that still shows each line’s original number.
How do I jump to a specific line?
Choose Find ▸ Go to Line… (⌘L), type a line number, and FindPad jumps to it and selects that line’s contents.
Which languages get syntax highlighting?
Swift, Python, JavaScript/TypeScript, JSON, HTML, XML (incl. plist/SVG), CSS, shell scripts, C, C++, Go, Rust, Markdown and log files. FindPad picks the language from the file extension. You can turn highlighting off any time with ⇧⌘K.
How do I format JSON?
Open a .json file (or set the language to JSON) and choose Format → Format JSON (⇧⌘J) to pretty-print it.
A file changed in another app - will FindPad notice?
Yes. FindPad watches open files for changes. If you have no unsaved edits it can reload automatically; otherwise it flags the file so you can reload on your terms without losing work.
Does FindPad collect any data?
No. FindPad runs in Apple’s App Sandbox, collects no data, and never sends your files anywhere. See the Privacy Policy.