Discover portable programming tools and software utilities you can run from a USB flash drive. Ideal for developers on the go—code, compile, and debug without installation.
Notepad++ is one of the Best text and code editor for programmers. If you do any sort of program language editing, this programmers code editor can be used in place of the limited Windows notepad, to serve as a complete standalone notepad replacement. Similar to this programmers text editor, it supports WYSIWYG and is completely Open Source, so anyone is free to view the source code to see how it works.
Akelpad is a simple to use portable text editor supporting both a single-window and tabbed multi-window interface, Unicode file support, multilayer undo, search and replace and more. It was built to be tiny yet fast, serving it's purpose quite well. Best of all, the free text and code editor can be run directly from a portable device such as a USB flash drive.
Editra is a free portable text editor. Much like notepad++, this is a great editing solution for anyone who does coding, HTML work, or even plain text editing. It includes an easy to use interface and features just about every tool you could ever imagine or want in a text editor.
Portable Java on USB: An official portable version of Java has been released by PortableApps. By installing Java on a USB flash drive, you can run your .JAR files directly from the portable Java installation, eliminating the need to rely on a local JRE install.
HEX-ED is a Free Portable Hex Editor that is both small and efficient. It was originally used by it's author to modify programs written in assembler. Hex-Ed began life decades ago, as a BASIC program compiled in BASCOM under CP/M. The author has since recompiled Hex-ED in Visual C for Windows, first 16 bits and now 32 bits.
If you're a developer, writer, editor, or anyone who regularly works with text files, TextDiff is an invaluable tool for comparing file content and tracking changes over time. Whether you're updating documents, writing code, or collaborating with multiple contributors, this free, portable file comparison tool helps you efficiently spot differences between versions, ensuring accuracy and consistency in your work.
Crimson Editor is an Advanced, Free Text Editor. It can be used to quickly and easily edit text files that contain code. programmers or those that dabble in program language editing might use Crimson as a complete notepad replacement. Crimson text editor offers customizable syntax highlighting, line numbers and many other text processing features. Additionally it's offered as a Portable Application.
ExamDiff is a Portable and Free File Comparison Tool that can be used to compare files to see if they are identical. It is a freeware visual file comparing application that features browse and drag and drop file comparison, can automatically detect file changes, and provides plenty of customizable display options.
GUID Generator is a Software ID tool. It can be used to create Globally Unique Identifiers (GUID). Also known as Universally Unique Identifiers (UUID). These unique IDs are commonly used as database keys, and component identifiers. Often used by software developers whenever or wherever a unique identifier is required to uniquely identify something.
PTEDIT is a legacy free disk partitioning utility originally developed by PowerQuest and later maintained by Symantec. Though officially discontinued, this compact tool remains valuable for advanced users who need to directly modify partition table entries on Windows systems.
AutoIt is a portable programming language that is very similar to BASIC. This tiny basic like programming language was designed specifically for Windows GUI automation and scripting. Being so easy to learn and use, you'll often find it used to automate Windows tasks.
Metapad is a free text and code editor created by Alexander Davidson that serves as a lightweight and portable Notepad replacement. Designed to run on Windows 95/98/NT/XP/Vista/7, Metapad is ideal for users who want a small, fast, and versatile text editing tool that can be carried on a USB drive.
Base64 Decoder is a Free and portable decoder tool. It can be used to convert base64 data back to its original source code. This software might also be used to decode attachments found in email files.
Table Text Compare is a free portable text Comparison tool. It can be used to quickly and easily compare two text files line by line. It might be used to compare, find, and list the differences between two text files. The differences are listed in the output window, and comparison reports can be exported and saved into a text file.
Based upon Dev-C++, Orwell Dev C++ Portable is a Portable (IDE) Integrated Development Environment and Compiler for the C and C++ programming languages. It was created using a GNU GCC, Mingw or Cygwin compiler and library set. This Development Environment has been ported for use within a Windows Operating Environment.
Textadept is a Programmers Text Editor. It is a small and fast cross platform text editor for programmers. Similar to Notepad++, it provides you with the text editing ability to edit programming code for various programming languages, on the fly.
WinSpy (also known as WinSpy++) is a free and lightweight Windows utility that helps developers, programmers, and system administrators inspect and debug running applications. Unlike spyware or malicious tools, it is completely safe and legitimate. It can capture and display detailed information about Windows, processes, and controls, making it a valuable part of any developer or IT toolkit.
Resource Hacker is a powerful, portable freeware utility for viewing, extracting, and editing resources inside Windows executable files. It supports both 32-bit and 64-bit .EXE, .DLL, and .RES files, making it a go to tool for developers, power users, translators, and anyone interested in customizing or inspecting Windows applications.
Frhed is a Free Hex Editor (also known as a Binary File Editor) for Windows. It is lightweight, open source, and designed for editing binary files quickly and efficiently. A portable version is also available, making it easy to carry on a USB flash drive for use on the go.
TED Notepad is a Free Portable Notepad application designed to serve as a complete replacement for the default Windows Notepad. Lightweight yet powerful, it goes far beyond simple text editing, offering advanced features for both casual users and programmers.
HxD is a lightweight, free, and portable hex editor utility for editing files, disks, and system memory at the byte level. This powerful yet compact freeware hex editor tool is trusted by programmers, reverse engineers, digital forensics professionals, and technical users who need a clean, dependable environment for viewing and modifying raw binary data structures.
FreeFileSync is a free and open source file and folder synchronization tool for Windows. It works by first comparing files and directories, then synchronizing differences based on file size, timestamps, or actual file content. This makes it ideal for keeping folders mirrored, creating backups, and maintaining consistent data across multiple locations.
Unlike most simple copy utilities, it is designed to handle large datasets efficiently, supports files larger than 4 GB, and allows batch processing and automation for recurring synchronization tasks. Its portable availability also makes it well suited for USB based toolkits and on demand use.
Hexplorer is a free portable Hex Editor that is very similar to HxD. As the name implies, this free hex reader and binary file editor can be used to explore and edit binary hexadecimal files. It is a lightweight yet powerful tool for anyone who needs to peek under the hood of files and raw data stored on a computer system.
Portable Python is an open source, self-contained portable development environment based on the Python 2.5 programming language. Designed to run directly from removable media such as a USB flash drive, it allows users to carry a complete Python setup—including the interpreter, standard libraries, and development tools—without installing anything on the host computer.
This makes Portable Python especially useful for developers, students, and IT professionals who need to write, test, or demonstrate Python code on systems where installation is restricted or administrative privileges are unavailable. By keeping everything contained within a single folder, it provides a consistent development environment that can be used across multiple Windows machines.
Notepad3 is another Free Text Editor or Free Code Editor created by Derick of Rizonesoft. This portable notepad is a Scintilla based text and code editor with syntax highlighting. Much like the Notepad++ Free Code Editor, Notepad3 also offers many features not included with your standard text editing software. So, if you do any code editing or programming, this is a must have programming tool to add to your Portable Notepad collection.
Rapid Environment Editor (RapidEE) is a lightweight and user-friendly Windows environment variables editor. Offered as freeware, this powerful utility allows users to easily edit, manage, and organize environment variables through a graphical interface. Unlike the default system settings editor, RapidEE presents variables in a tree-like view for quick navigation and a clearer overview.
XN Resource Editor is a portable and free resource editor and PE module explorer. This Res Editor (similar to Resource Hacker) is an entirely portable application that can be used to view and edit .RES resource files and .EXE or .DLL PE modules. XN Resource Editor works seamlessly with Microsoft Windows, providing users with a simple yet effective way to inspect and modify resources embedded in executable files.
EditPad Lite is a versatile, free portable text editor designed for efficient, compact text editing on the go. Perfect for everyday text and code editing tasks, it provides all essential features while remaining lightweight yet very user-friendly. With tabbed browsing, unlimited undo or redo, and support for multiple text and code formats, this standalone text editing software utility is an excellent choice for both casual and professional use. It's a handy tool for those who need to edit text across different environments, especially since it works as a portable app that can run from a USB drive, meaning no installation is required on the host computer.
Search Text in Files: Depeche View is a Free Portable Tool that enables you to search for text from all files within an entire directory tree. The Utility can search for specific text within thousands of files in just seconds. Depeche View is great asset for programmers and coders who need to find all instances of a phrase, string, code or other text occurrence within multiple files.
Oiko Visual CSS Editor is a Free Portable CSS editor that allows users to design and edit cascading style sheets (CSS) using a simple visual interface. Instead of manually coding, this tool provides an icon-based navigation system and a preview option to see how style changes would appear directly in browsers like Internet Explorer or Firefox.
