Replace Notepad With Notepad Windows 11 [portable] (2026)

"Fine," Elias muttered, adjusting his monitor's brightness to match the dark mode. "You win. But if you auto-update and add Clippy, I'm switching to Linux."

Right-click the folder, select , and name it notepad.exe .

It takes 30 seconds and doesn't risk system stability.

has been the gold standard for Windows text editing for over 20 years, and for good reason. Despite offering hundreds of advanced features, it remains remarkably lightweight and responsive. It is free, open-source, and actively maintained. replace notepad with notepad windows 11

A modern Universal Windows Platform (UWP) app. It updates via the Microsoft Store.

This is a more technical approach:

Windows 11 hides the ultra-lightweight legacy version ( notepad.exe ) deep within system folders. You can easily reveal it and make it your default application. Step 1: Uninstall the Modern Notepad App Replace Notepad with Notepad++ | Windows 10 & 11 - NinjaOne It takes 30 seconds and doesn't risk system stability

He needed the old one back.

Advanced "Find in Files" and Regex support allow you to search across thousands of documents at once.

Method 1: The Modern Windows 11 Way (Using Default Apps Settings) It is free, open-source, and actively maintained

: With a thriving plugin ecosystem, you can add powerful functionality to Notepad++ for tasks like comparing files, auto-completing code, or even running scripts. You can also record and play back macros to automate repetitive editing tasks, boosting your workflow significantly.

Note: If you are using the 32-bit version of Notepad++ on a 64-bit system, change %ProgramFiles% to %ProgramFiles(x86)% . Method 2: The User-Friendly Way (Default Apps)

Once the modern app is uninstalled, Windows 11 should automatically default to the classic version. Press Windows Key + R to open the box. Type notepad and press Enter .

To prevent Windows from looking for the Store app when you type "notepad" into terminal windows or the Run command box, turn off its modern redirect alias. Go back to > Apps .