Hello Jimcamps,
In addition to the useful advices of Dail, if you currently use a local version of Notepad+, from the download links, below :
https://notepad-plus-plus.org/repository/6.x/6.9/npp.6.9.bin.zip
https://notepad-plus-plus.org/repository/6.x/6.9/npp.6.9.bin.7z
you can, without any trouble, install two versions of N++ :
One, with your loved plugins and all your stuff
One, without any additional software for N++ and, even better, the minimalist N++ version, from the download link, below :
https://notepad-plus-plus.org/repository/6.x/6.9/npp.6.9.bin.minimalist.7z
With that version, and the periodic backups option disabled, no doubt that managing huge files and doing numerous searches/replacements should be easier to achieve !
Best Regards,
guy038