Issues with the Preview HTML plugin

[rdipardo]

@Robk-Blue said:

I’m having trouble installing the 1.44 version you linked.

If your version of Notepad++ is at least 8.9.4, you can use the built-in Plugins Admin installer:

It has no .dll file that Windows would use.

If you’re talking about a ZIP archive you got from the plugin’s GitHub page, my guess is that some anti-virus program is putting the DLL in quarantine as soon as you extract it, or else the extracted DLL needs to be cleared of a Web origin designator:

[Robk Blue]

@rdipardo
My Notepad++ says it’s up to date at 8.9.3 and the Preview HTML plugin shows 1.4.3 as its version in Plugins Admin!

And there’s part of the problem, your earlier link to ‘current plugin versions’ is different to the one just above (GitHub page) which has the DLL file. Sweet !

Screenshot - 17_05_2026 , 12_41_07 PM.png

OK, I downloaded it and manually installed 1.4.4. It’s working for the moment.

Thanks a bunch.

[PeterJones]

@Robk-Blue said:

My Notepad++ says it’s up to date at 8.9.3

Notepad++ has actually released two versions since v8.9.3, they just haven’t been triggered for auto-update, so the Check For Updates won’t show them.

See FAQ: Why Can’t I Just Say “Most Recent Version”

[Robk Blue]

@PeterJones OK, I didn’t know that.

.8.9.4 and .5 both broke my PreviewHTML plugin, installing back to 8,9,3 fixed it. So, there you go.

[Robk Blue]

Hi All,

I’m not sure what’s happening, but every morning when I open NP++ for the first time, PreviewHTML isn’t working. I tried reinstalling the plugin again, no fix.

Any suggestions?

[rdipardo]

@Robk-Blue said:

Any suggestions?

Usually the Notepad++ Debug Info dialog is the best place to start:

Click Copy debug info to clipboard and share the details in a new post.

Some plugin-specific things include:

• Is Microsoft Edge installed?

Launch PowerShell or the Command Prompt and enter:

reg query "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Microsoft\EdgeUpdate\Clients\{F3017226-FE2A-4295-8BDF-00C3A9A7E4C5}" /v Location

Or simply launch File Explorer and try to locate this folder: C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft\EdgeWebView\Application

• Is your config.xml file trying to relaunch the preview panel automatically when Notepad++ starts up?

Go here for instructions on how to find out.

If you have a GitHub account, please consider posting your findings to the issue tracker I mentioned before.

[Robk Blue]

@rdipardo said:

C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft\EdgeWebView\Application

Yes, Edge is installed and tested via your suggested queries.

What config.xml file are referring to?

[rdipardo]

@Robk-Blue said:

What config.xml file are referring to?

At the link I provided in my last message you will find the following:

• [To l]ocate your config.xml file:

  • %AppData%\Notepad++\config.xml, if you installed Notepad++ for all users; or

  • $(PORTABLE_NPP_DIR)\config.xml, if it’s a portable installation

• Find and remove the PluginDlg element with the attribute pluginName="PreviewHTML.dll", for example:

<!-- config.xml -->

    <GUIConfig name="DockingManager" leftWidth="200" rightWidth="168" topHeight="200" bottomHeight="124">
        <FloatingWindow cont="4" x="257" y="440" width="916" height="686" />
        <FloatingWindow cont="5" x="161" y="206" width="761" height="606" />
    <!-- 
      Remove:
        <PluginDlg pluginName="PreviewHTML.dll" id="0" curr="1" prev="-1" isVisible="yes" />
    -->
        <PluginDlg pluginName="Notepad++::InternalFunction" id="44085" curr="1" prev="-1" isVisible="no" />
    </GUIConfig>

Yes, Edge is installed

O.K. What about the Notepad++ debug info?

[Robk Blue]

@rdipardo

I found that entry in the config.xml file so I removed it. However, the entry is rewritten every time you open and close the app. The only difference is that ‘isvisble’ changes between yes and no.

The upshot is, if I close the PreviewHTML pane before closing NP, it will work when I open the app next time.

Debug

Notepad++ v8.9.3 (64-bit)
Build time: Mar 20 2026 - 00:44:25
Scintilla/Lexilla included: 5.6.0/5.4.7
Boost Regex included: 1_90
pugixml included: 1.15
nlohmann JSON included: 3.12.0
Path: C:\Program Files\Notepad++\notepad++.exe
Command Line: “C:\Users\Akm\AppData\Roaming\Notepad++\config.xml”
Admin mode: OFF
Local Conf mode: OFF
Cloud Config: OFF
WinGUp: present
disableNppAutoUpdate.xml: absent
Periodic Backup: ON
Placeholders: OFF
Scintilla Rendering Mode: SC_TECHNOLOGY_DIRECTWRITE (1)
Multi-instance Mode: monoInst
asNotepad: OFF
File Status Auto-Detection: cdEnabledNew (for current file/tab only)
Dark Mode: OFF
Display Info:
primary monitor: 1920x1080, scaling 100%
visible monitors count: 2
installed Display Class adapters:
0000: Description - Intel® UHD Graphics
0000: DriverVersion - 31.0.101.2135
0001: Description - DisplayLink USB Device
0001: DriverVersion - 9.3.2992.0
0002: Description - DisplayLink USB Device
0002: DriverVersion - 9.3.2992.0
OS Name: Windows 10 Pro (64-bit)
OS Version: 22H2
OS Build: 19045.6466
Current ANSI codepage: 1252
Plugins:
AutoSave (2)
DSpellCheck (1.5)
mimeTools (3.1)
NavigateTo (2.7.1)
NppConverter (4.7)
NppExport (0.4)
NppTextFX (0.2.4)
PreviewHTML (1.4.4)
_CustomizeToolbar (5.3)

[rdipardo]

@Robk-Blue said:

If I close the PreviewHTML pane before closing NP, it will work when I open the app next time.

Yes, closing it before quitting will stop the Docking Manager from trying to relaunch it. I’m guessing you also have an active session of unsaved files? I’m not sure, but it could be that reloading files from a session doesn’t trigger a preview refresh the way that manually opening the file does. If it happens again, just save the file and reload it with Ctrl+R.

Another thing is that your version of TextFX is really old. For reference, version 0.2.6 has been incompatible with Notepad++ for several years: https://sourceforge.net/p/npp-plugins/bugs/354

You should remove or rename the NppTextFX plugin folder, open the Plugins Admin installer, and download it again from the current source: