Move NPP to new computer

trmarcus

I will soon be building a new computer. I want to move/migrate my configuration, settings, and plugins. With all the changes to file locations in recent versions, I’m no longer sure how to do that. Is there a document or Web page someone could point me to that would give me guidance for moving the current version over? Alternatively, could someone provide a complete list of what I need to save and move?

Alan Kilborn

@trmarcus

This seems like a good opportunity to stand up and cheer for the portable version. IF you had the foresight to use the portable version, it is as easy as copying the entire C:\.....\npp.7.7.1\* (or whatever) tree from old PC to new PC.

If you are using an installed version, it is not as easy, but I’m sure someone that knows will be along soon… :)

PeterJones

Assuming you are using an installed v7.6.3 or newer (rather than the portable), then to copy over your settings, you can just copy %appdata%\notepad++ from the old to the new.

If you also want to copy over exactly the version of Notepad++, with all the same plugins already installed, you could try to copy over the %program files%\notepad++ or %program files (x86)%\notepad++ directory to the new computer… but this won’t put Notepad++ into the right-click context menu. Really, it’s better just to install Notepad++ on the new computer, then either use Plugins > Plugins Admin to re-install each of the plugins you use, or copy <install directory>\plugins (including all subdirectories) from the old machine to the new.

dinkumoil

@trmarcus

It depends on the Notepad++ version you are running currently.

In general, after installing of Notepad++ on the new machine you need to copy your plugin folder and the folder with your custom settings and the plugin settings.

Notepad++ version up to v7.5.9

Plugins folder
a) Normal installation: <Notepad++-install-dir>\plugins
b) Plugins in user profile: %AppData%\Notepad++\plugins
Settings folder: %AppData%\Notepad++

Notepad++ version v7.6.3 and higher

Plugins folder
<Notepad++-install-dir>\plugins
Installation of plugins to the user profile is not supported anymore.
Settings folder: %AppData%\Notepad++

In all cases you should have a look at the Notepad++ install dir (where notepad++.exe resides) to find additional plugin companion files (for example old versions of the XML Tools plugin store files there) which have to be copied as well.

If you come from a Notepad++ version prior to v7.6 and in the future you want to use a version v7.6.3 or higher you have to migrate your plugins to the new folder structure required since v7.6. I have elaborated thoroughly about what to do in this comment.

trmarcus

This is exactly what I was looking for. Thanks to all!

I’m running 7.7.1, so I’ll install it on the new machine and then copy over the plugins and settings folder.

PeterJones

@Future Readers,

If you have been reading this topic to find out how to copy settings from one computer to another, this 2023 discussion gives one more caveat to my instructions from Aug 2019:

If the OLD computer and NEW computer have different usernames, or otherwise use different paths for the %AppData%\Notepad++ directory resolution (maybe it’s on d:\users\abc\AppData\Roaming\Notepad++ on OLD and c:\users\long.name\AppData\Roaming\Notepad++ on NEW), then you might also have to edit the NEW copy of session.xml and possibly other config files, and if they have any paths in those config files that referenced the OLD AppData, you will have to update to the NEW AppData.

In general, in session.xml and other config files, if there are paths in those files, they are hardcoded to full paths… so if those full paths do not exactly match on both machines, you will have to edit the config files or Notepad++ cannot find the files referenced by those paths.