Syntax Highlight
Syntax Highlighting in WordPress Plugins and Themes Editor. Features Syntax highlighting in the Plugins and Themes Editor AJAX save through CTRL+S Ask whether to leave when there are unsaved changes Change font size…
Consider an alternative
Syntax Highlight shows warning signs in 2026 — compare the alternatives below before installing. It runs on 200+ sites, is rated 5/5 and was last updated 12 years ago, and scores 38/100 on our health check.
- Small user base (200+ active installs)
- No update in 12 years
- Only tested up to WordPress 3.9 (latest is 7.1)
How does it stack up?
Side-by-side on installs, updates, ratings & support
Daily downloads
Download spikes usually follow a new release — each site that auto-updates counts as a download.
Rankings
Where Syntax Highlight stands todayWordPress.org search rankings
Live position in the plugin search, top 100| Keyword | Position |
|---|---|
| editor | >100 |
| html-editor | >100 |
| plugins editor | >100 |
| syntax highlight | >100 |
| themes editor | >100 |
Version adoption
Share of active sites per release.
Rating breakdown
★★★★★★★★★★ 5 from 6 reviews
About Syntax Highlight
From the official readme · v1.0.2Description
Syntax Highlighting in WordPress Plugins and Themes Editor.
Features
- Syntax highlighting in the Plugins and Themes Editor
- AJAX save through CTRL+S
- Ask whether to leave when there are unsaved changes
- Change font size using Ctrl+=, Ctrl+-
- Configurable through Settings page
- Fullscreen mode (CTRL+Enter)
- Shortcuts (keybindings: Vim, Emacs and Default)
- Themes
- Internationalized
- Search and replace with regular expressions (CTRL+F, CTRL+H)
- … and all other features that wonderful ACE Editor provides
Installation
- Uncompress the download package
- Upload folder including all files and sub directories to the
/wp-content/plugins/directory - Activate the plugin through the ‘Plugins’ menu in WordPress
- Enjoy syntax highlithing in your WordPress Editor!
Changelog
Version 1.0.2
- Enhancement: More themes
- Enhancement: Change font size using Ctrl+=, Ctrl+-
Version 1.0.1
- Bugfix: Load default settings
Version 1.0
- initial version
Screenshots
For developers
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FAQ
Syntax Highlight: quick answers
Straight answers, pulled from live WordPress.org data.
Live data from WordPress.org · checked Sep 29, 2026
Is Syntax Highlight free?
Yes. Syntax Highlight is free to download and use from the official WordPress.org plugin directory.
Is Syntax Highlight safe to use in 2026?
Syntax Highlight shows warning signs in 2026 — compare the alternatives below before installing. It runs on 200+ sites, is rated 5/5 and was last updated 12 years ago, and scores 38/100 on our health check.
How many websites use Syntax Highlight?
Syntax Highlight is active on 200+ WordPress websites and has been downloaded 9,828 times since it launched in June 2014. It was downloaded 87 times in the last 30 days.
Does Syntax Highlight work with WordPress 7.1?
Syntax Highlight is officially tested up to WordPress 3.9.40, while the latest release is 7.1.2. It may still work, but try it on a staging site first.
When was Syntax Highlight last updated?
The latest version, 1.0.2, was released on July 2, 2014 (12 years ago).
Who makes Syntax Highlight?
Syntax Highlight is developed and maintained by lukasz.webmaster.
What are the best alternatives to Syntax Highlight?
The most popular alternatives to Syntax Highlight are Elementor Website Builder (10M+ installs), Classic Editor (8M+ installs) and Classic Widgets (2M+ installs).
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