Notepad++ open in new instance because I use multiple desktops

Brent Riggs

I need notepad++ t open in a separate instance each time I click the taskbar icon

I use multiple desktops in Windows 11, and currently if I click Notepad++ from a desktop, it jumps to the desktop where it is already open…

I need to have Notepad++ opened and separate on each desktop as I used it for different projects on different desktops…

PeterJones

@Brent-Riggs ,

Notepad++ doesn’t have that feature, though you could read the FAQ to see where feature requests go.

Alternatives / workarounds:

Always Open New Instance option: might be too far in the multi-instance direction, but it would accomplish your goal
use Open Session in New Instance option, and a separate session file for each of your projects
have shortcuts on your desktop with the -multiInst option, and use that to start your new instance on each desktop
use Move To New Instance and then move that instance to the right desktop

References:

Alan Kilborn

I’m sure there are several open issue requests for multiple desktop support.
Please seek them out and add your thoughts to one or more of them, rather than creating a new (basically duplicate) issue.

Aryan Firouzian

One silly solution would be to drag a tab out off the notepad++ window, and then drag it to other desktop. That way you have two different notepad++ instances in different desktops

ElectroLund

I agree, would be an excellent feature. I have the same workflow: multiple Win10 desktops, have NP++ open in lots of them, opening new text files throws me over there.

But changing NP++ behavior to open new instances each time would not work for me either, as I have scripts that I run which open mutliple files that I do want grouped together in one instance of NP++.

An easy solution to me would be a command line switch that forces the opening of a file into a new NP++ instance. Then I could chose which files to start a new one.

PeterJones

@ElectroLund said in Notepad++ open in new instance because I use multiple desktops:

An easy solution to me would be a command line switch that forces the opening of a file into a new NP++ instance. Then I could chose which files to start a new one.

you mean like the already-existing -multiInst option, which does exactly that?

(Though if you do use -multiInst, I recommend also using -nosession, otherwise it will open your whole existing session plus the new file(s) in the new instance)

so if you use notepad++ -nosession -multiInst a.txt b.txt c.txt , it will open those three files to a single new instance, separate from any notepad++ instance already running.

I believe this accomplishes your goal (though maybe not the original poster’s goal)