Get back MS NOTEPAD

Dave Venus

Hi!

Thanks in advance for your help!

NotePad++ 8.3.3 got installed and replaced MS NOTEPAD. Can I get MS NOTEPAD back without removing NOTEPAD++? If so what steps are needed?

Much appreciated,

Dave

Lycan Thrope

@dave-venus ,
Unless you did something really convoluted, there is no way, notepad++.exe replaced notepad.exe. If you named it the same as notepad.exe and then confirmed replacement, then you need to talk to Microsoft support sites how to get it back. Since NPP installs into it’s own directory, there should be no way this could happen, and if it did, it’s a user error we can’t help you correct other than to suggest you re-install windows.

PeterJones

@dave-venus ,

If you mean “When I double-click a .txt file, it opens with Notepad++ instead of MS Notepad”, then that does automatically happen when you install Notepad++. To undo it, use your Windows Operating System’s method of changing your file association – probably easiest is to right click on the .txt file, Open With, choose MS Notepad, and check “always open this type” or however it’s phrased in your exact version of Windows. (Note, these instructions aren’t unique to Notepad++ – any time you install a new file editor, it almost always changes the default association for one or more types of files, and if you don’t want that behavior, Open With is the way to re-associate it with your previous application.)

However, if, like @Lycan-Thrope assumed, you try to run notepad.exe directly (double-click on the executable, or use the Windows Run dialog and type notepad.exe) and it instead runs Notepad++, then you have done something odd at some point: probably, either you intentionally used the notepad replacement instructions – in which case you need to undo those – or you installed the “NotepadStarterPlugin”, in which case you need to follow the “Uninstallation” instructions on that plugin’s page.