Hi All,
Note: Below are steps for Win11 22H2 and
21H2:
The steps I wrote below are the steps
I used personally to get the Classic version of Notepad to run in both
Win11 22H2 and 21H2. After I executed the steps I went to where the,
notepad.exe, file was located and sent a shortcut to the desktop and I made
separate desktop icons for the Classic and Modern versions of
Notepad.
I'm posting the whole article with the writer's
steps + my reworded steps for screen reader users. The rest of the article
I'm not commenting on because I'm not computer savvy enough to get that deep
into the weeds on this. I already screwed up 2 computers removing the
modern Notepad app and I'm not going to screw up another.
Like I said, I used the steps I wrote below plus
making my own desktop icons labeling them as desktop icons as NotepadModern and
NotepadClassic to differentiate between them.
Disclaimer: If you execute any of the steps
below you are doing so at your own risk!
How to Restore Old Classic Notepad in Windows
11
Last Updated on: November 20, 2022 by Ramesh
Windows 11 comes with the modern Notepad app that
automatically replaces the old/classic Notepad program. The new Notepad UWP app
supports color emojis,
dark mode, RichEdit editing enhancements, Ctrl+} for
toggling between matching brackets/parentheses, multilevel undo, drag &
drop, and automatic URL detection.
However, many users prefer classic/win32 apps
instead of modern Store apps. The classic Notepad is exceptionally lightweight
and has always been my favorite.
This article tells you how to get back the old
Notepad after installing or uninstalling the modern Store app in Windows
10/11.
How to Replace Notepad With Notepad++ or Other
Editor
How to Restore the Old/Classic Notepad in Windows
11
Follow one of these methods to restore the classic
Notepad program in Windows 11/10:
(You should be able to run the modern Notepad and
traditional Notepad programs simultaneously/side by side after following the
methods below.)
Method 1: Disable the Notepad App execution
alias
The modern Notepad overrides the old Notepad via
the “App Paths” registry key so that the new Notepad launches when launching
Notepad.exe. By disabling
this alias via the Settings app, you should be able
to run the classic Notepad.
Ramesh's steps:
list of 3 items
1. Open
Settings → Apps.
2. Expand “More settings” and click “App execution
aliases.”
3. Disable the “Notepad” alias by turning off the radio
button.
notepad app paths alias
list end
Mike B's steps for 22H2:
1. Open Settings with
the keystroke, Windows key + I, tab 1 time into the list of categories, down
arrow to, Apps, and press enter.
2. Tab a couple of times to, List box / list of
categories, down arrow to, Advanced App Settings, and press enter.
3. Tab a couple of times to, App execution
aliases, More settings button, and press the spacebar to
expand
4. Tab several times to, Notepad notepad.exe
button, and press the spacebaar to turn this off. Now press, Alt + F4, to
close.
Mike B's steps for 21H2:
1. Open Settings with the keystroke, Windows key +
I, tab 1 time into the list of categories, down arrow to, Apps, and press
enter.
2. Tab a couple of times to, List box / Apps
and Features, and press enter.
3. Tab 3 or 4 times to, More settings, collapsed
all settings, press the spacebar to expand, tab 1 time to, App execution
aliases, More settings button, and press the spacebar to
expand.
4. Now to make it quicker, Shift + tab, until you
get to, Notepad notepad.exe button, and press the spacebar to turn this
off.
If you tab instead of shift tabbing, you will tab
6 times or so to get to all the apps in the execution aliases list.
5. After you turn off the, Notepad notepad.exe
app, you can Now press, Alt + F4, to close.
end of Mike B's steps
That’s it! When you double-click on a text file or
run Notepad.exe manually, the classic Notepad will now open.
You can still launch the new/modern Notepad via
the Start menu or Taskbar shortcut or by launching the executable file
directly.
Example:
C:\Program
Files\WindowsApps\Microsoft.WindowsNotepad_11.2203.10.0_x64__8wekyb3d8bbwe\Notepad\Notepad.exe
Install the classic Notepad program via Optional
features
The classic Notepad is located in the following
locations:
list of 2 items
• c:\windows\notepad.exe
•
c:\windows\system32\notepad.exe
list end
If the above files are missing, then you need to
install Notepad via optional features.
list of 4 items
1. Open Settings → Apps →
Optional features → View features
2. Type notepad.
3. Select Notepad
(system) from the list, and click Next.
old notepad add apps features
4.
Click Install.
list end
RELATED:
Install Notepad via Optional features
or using the DISM command-line
Note: However, this method doesn’t restore the
classic Notepad in the Open with dialog. Also, it can’t fix the “Cannot
associate file type with this program”
error discussed in the next
paragraph.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Disabling the Notepad alias (as above)
or
uninstalling the modern Notepad app
via Settings → Apps
& Features would enable you to launch the classic Notepad successfully.
However, the classic Notepad would still be missing in the
Open with dialog
and Open with menu due to specific registry settings. Attempting to browse and
select notepad.exe in the Open with dialog would cause
the following
error:
notepad missing open with in windows 11
Cannot associate file type with this
program
The program you have selected cannot be associated with
this file type. Please choose another program.
You’ll need to follow “Method 2” ↓ to fix this
issue.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Method 2: Restore Classic Notepad via the
registry
This method restores the classic Notepad and also
makes it available in the Open with dialog/menu.
(Note: Additionally, this method should enable you
to
replace Notepad with Notepad++
or any other editor if
required.)
list of 4 items
1. Copy the following lines to
Notepad.
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
;Restore Old
Classic Notepad on Windows 11
;Created by Ramesh Srinivasan for
Winhelponline.com
;Created on May 6, 2022; Revised on May 12,
2022.
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Applications\notepad.exe]
"NoOpenWith"=-
[-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\App
Paths\notepad.exe]
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\txtfilelegacy\DefaultIcon]
@="imageres.dll,-102"
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\txtfilelegacy\shell\open\command]
@="C:\\Windows\\System32\\notepad.exe
\"%1\""
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows
NT\CurrentVersion\Image File Execution
Options\notepad.exe]
"UseFilter"=dword:00000000
2. Save the file with a
.reg extension
— e.g., restore_classic_notepad.reg
3. Close
Notepad.
4. Double-click restore_classic_notepad.reg to apply the settings to
the registry.
list end
You’ve now restored the functionality of the old
classic Notepad program!
Download: If you wish to download the registry
file (instead of making one of your own), download
restore-classic-notepad.zip,
unzip and run the appropriate registry file.
It also has the undo.reg file which reverses the above registry settings to
Windows default.
Here you go! The Open with dialog will now list
both versions of Notepad, easily distinguishable from the respective
icons.
old Notepad missing in open with dialog
Old
Notepad listed in Open with dialog.
RELATED:
How to Get Windows 10
Classic Paint in Windows 11
Here’s the comparison of the old and new Notepad
UI. The old Notepad shows a notification bar that says, “A new version of
Notepad is available”. However,
once you close the banner, it shouldn’t
prompt you the next time onwards.
new and old classic notepad
After restoring the old Notepad, you may run it
alongside the modern Notepad app. Or you may uninstall the modern Notepad app if
you don’t plan to use
it.
RELATED:
Get Old Classic Calculator in Windows
10
Editor’s note
The registry method in this article has been
tested on Windows 11 Version 21H2 OS Build 22000.613. In the future, if
Microsoft eradicates the old Notepad
binaries, we should be resorting to
other methods
(copying Notepad.exe and Notepad.exe.mui from
earlier builds of Windows 10/11) to restore the classic Notepad.
Drawbacks of the modern Notepad app: The modern
Notepad app in Windows 11 hides classic Notepad’s entry points (e.g., Open with
menu/dialog and Default
Apps) so that users can’t launch the classic version.
Attempting to run c:\windows\notepad.exe would redirect you to the Notepad store
app instead. This
redirection is due to the “AppExecutionAliasRedirect”
registry setting. Also,
replacing Notepad with Notepad++
using the
IFEO “debugger” registry value would stop working (by default) if modern Notepad
is installed on the computer.
Take
care. Mike. Go Dodgers.
Sent from my iBarstool.
"A positive attitude
may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it
worth the effort."
