Last updated: July 8, 2025
Editing HTML Files
Table of Contents
Software Required
For HTML Editing
You can download trial (30 days free) versions by the following links:
| Software | Download Link | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Adobe Dreamweaver | http://www.adobe.com/products/dreamweaver/ | Professional web design software with visual editor and code editor |
| Microsoft Expression Web | Legacy Download | Microsoft’s web development tool (discontinued but still functional) |
| Notepad++ | https://notepad-plus-plus.org/download/ | Free, lightweight text editor with syntax highlighting |
| Sublime Text | https://www.sublimetext.com | Fast, sophisticated text editor with powerful features |
| Visual Studio Code | https://code.visualstudio.com/ | Free, open-source code editor with excellent HTML/CSS support |
| Atom | https://atom.io/ | Hackable text editor built by GitHub (discontinued but still works) |
| Brackets | http://brackets.io/ | Modern, open-source code editor focused on web development |
For Graphics Editing
| Software | Download Link | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Adobe Photoshop | http://www.adobe.com/products/photoshop/photoshop/ | Industry-standard image editing software |
| GIMP | https://www.gimp.org/ | Free, open-source image editor |
| Figma | https://www.figma.com/ | Free collaborative design tool (web-based) |
| Sketch | https://www.sketch.com/ | Vector graphics editor for Mac (paid) |
| Canva | https://www.canva.com/ | Free online design tool for non-designers |
Recommended Editor: Visual Studio Code
For editing HTML templates, we highly recommend Visual Studio Code (VS Code) due to its:
- Free and Open Source - No cost, actively developed by Microsoft
- Excellent HTML/CSS Support - IntelliSense, Emmet, syntax highlighting
- Live Preview - See changes in real-time with extensions
- Extensions Marketplace - Thousands of free extensions
- Git Integration - Built-in version control
- Cross-Platform - Works on Windows, Mac, and Linux
Useful VS Code Extensions for HTML Editing
- Live Server - Launch a local development server with live reload
- HTML CSS Support - Enhanced HTML/CSS IntelliSense
- Prettier - Code formatter for consistent style
- Auto Rename Tag - Automatically rename paired HTML/XML tags
- Bracket Pair Colorizer - Colorize matching brackets
- Path Intellisense - Autocomplete filenames in your code