Notepad++ blank all the time, even with existing files
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Hi, I´ve been experiencing this issue for maybe a couple of months. I switched to other editors, but I don’t feel as comfortable as with Notepad++, so I want to see if is there any way to solve it.
Suddently Notepad started to display all tabs, any file, existing or new, completely blank. It is like there but the background is white and the text is white too, but there is text there (I can select all of it with Ctrl+A) it is just I can’t see it. I’ve checked the Settings > Style Configurator and all seems all right there (black foreground, white background).
I’ve tried to reinstall, reinstall deleting any kind of file. Downgrade to several previous versions.
When I reinstall, when Npp loads, for the first time I see the Readme (or the file that is displayed when you install) correctly but as soon as I do anything, like opening a new tab, everything goes blank.
I´m using Windows 11. Feel free to ask me questions and I’ll do my best to provide answers. Thanks in advance
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Would you try a quick test? Go to the Notepad++ download page and download the Portable (zip) release for x64. Unzip the folder into a new folder, then open that folder and start Notepad++ by double-clicking notepad++.exe within that folder.
See if you still experience the problem.
If you do not see the problem with the portable version, then we know it has something to do with your installation of Notepad++. Like many applications, various settings for Notepad++ are maintained even when you uninstall and reinstall. No doubt we can find a way to reset them once we confirm where the problem lies.
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Is it something like the screenshot here?
As @xomx said in that conversation, it could easily be about DirectWrite settings. Go to the Settings > Preferences > MISC, and look for the DirectWrite settings – depending on which version you have, it might be a checkbox, or it might be a pulldown with 4-5 options. Try the various choices (sometimes requires exiting and restarting Notepad++ to have the change take effect), and see if it improves – it has, for some people. Also, that same thread mentions that it might be affected by whether Notepad++ is on your primary or secondary monitor, so if you’ve got multiple monitors, that might be affecting things.
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@PeterJones Thanks a lot for your reply. It was that setting. I have the latest Npp version and it is a checkbox for me. I disabled the DirectWrite, restarted and characters are again visible.
I don’t recall changing that setting in the past, and I don’t think I have installed any extension recently, so I don’t know how this could have happened.
It could be that the setting was like that already but something in windows changed. I don’t know. But once again many thanks! -
@Alfonso-Muñoz
Just to confirm: I use Notepad++ daily and the same started happening for me after a recent Windows update. What was installed on my PC just before the issue started was this major update of Windows 11: Windows 11 version 24H2. Although this is a 2024 version of Windows 11, they did not roll it out over all Windows 11 PCs yet (source).On my PC this update was installed on May 30th, 2025 through Windows Update. After updating Windows, I noticed several changes in display behavior, so the update definitely changed something in that area. This was also when I noticed Notepad++ malfunctioning.
To resolve the display issue, I also tried uninstalling Notepad++ and install the latest, to no avail.
What helped (probably same as for you):- In Notepad++, go to Settings > Preferences > MISC.
- Change the rendering mode from “Direct write (default)” to “GDI (most compatible)”
- Close and restart Notepad++
Thanks for starting this topic, I think I could not have solved my issue otherwise.
Berend
