How to replace Windows 10 Notepad with another text editor

The use of technology in our daily lives has greatly helped the development of our society, now things are much more practical than years ago. With the use of electronic equipment, tasks that were once tedious are now very easy to perform.

One of the devices that have been characteristic for the execution of programs are computers. The success these devices have had is thanks to the fact that manufacturers are constantly developing, in order to be better and better and offer the best experience to their users.

Similarly, the Windows operating system has been one of the most used for its incredible functionality. However, one of the tools that is still important and useful despite the times is the notepad.

Therefore, the Windows operating system has included it in each of its versions, counting the most recent version which is Windows 10. If it does not appear, we will show you how to find it.

What is the notepad for and how to change it?

The software of the Microsoft company, the Windows operating system is one of the most used by computer manufacturers. It is kept in constant development and innovation, from time to time it presents us with new updates to its operatic system.

The most recent version is Windows 10 , officially presented in 2015, it is currently one of the most complete software that exists. The programs that this update has are very complete and capable of performing any type of task.

Among which we can appreciate the Windows notepad , this is a tool that is used to add text in a very simple way. Indispensable, if we want to add notes or short reminders on the desktop.

One thing that has happened to the note tool in Windows is that it hasn’t changed for a long time. For what it has represented a disadvantage for those people who want a tool a little more complete.

This has led Windows users to look for other text editing options , such as slightly more advanced programs. If we want to change the editor, we just have to look for a better option and download the program to our computer.

But if we want to replace it, the process is a bit more complex, since the Windows notepad is pre-installed by default in the system interface. But we don’t have to worry, by accessing the Windows registry editor we can completely replace the notepad.

In this article, we will learn the steps we must follow to replace the Windows 10 notepad with another text editor.

How to replace Windows 10 notepad with another text editor?

To replace the default Notepad application in Windows 10 with another text editor, you can follow these steps in a tabular format:

Step Description
1. Choose a New Text Editor Decide on the text editor you want to use instead of Notepad (e.g., Notepad++, Sublime Text, VSCode).
2. Download and Install Download and install your chosen text editor on your Windows 10 system.
3. Open Registry Editor Press Windows Key + R, type regedit, and hit Enter to open the Registry Editor.
4. Backup Registry Before making changes, it’s wise to backup your registry. Click File > Export, choose a location, and save.
5. Navigate to Notepad Key Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Image File Execution Options.
6. Create a New Key Right-click on Image File Execution Options, select New > Key, and name it notepad.exe.
7. Create a New String Value Right-click on the new notepad.exe key, select New > String Value, and name it Debugger.
8. Set the Value Double-click on Debugger and set its value to the full path of your new text editor’s executable file. For example, C:\Program Files\Notepad++\notepad++.exe.
9. Close Registry Editor Close the Registry Editor and restart your computer.

Important Notes:

  • Editing the registry can be risky, so proceed with caution and ensure you have a backup.
  • Some text editors may require additional command-line parameters to work correctly in this setup.
  • This method overrides the execution of Notepad with your chosen editor for all users on the system.

The first thing we must do to completely replace the notepad is to find the best alternative that suits our needs . On the internet we can search among the best options of all the editors that are available, according to our tastes we will download the editor that suits us best. One of these editors is Notepad ++

After we have it downloaded to our computer, we do the corresponding installation. Now we are ready to replace the Windows text editor with the editor that we have downloaded.

The next step will be to open the registry editor , for this we go to the Windows search bar and type  regedit  and give enter. In this way, we will access all Windows files. You can modify the Regedit registers if you wish.

Now we must navigate to the following path: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SOFTWARE \ Classes \ SystemFileAssociations, on the right side of the screen we will see all the files that we can modify.

To replace the text editor, we must open each of the extensions and select the “Shell” option and within this option select “edit” . Now in the text bar we can see the following% SystemRoot% \ system32 \ NOTEPAD.EXE% 1.

The last step that we must do is eliminate the previous extension and place the extension of the program that we have downloaded. Ready, following the steps above, we will have completely replaced the Windows 10 notepad.

 

 

by Abdullah Sam
I’m a teacher, researcher and writer. I write about study subjects to improve the learning of college and university students. I write top Quality study notes Mostly, Tech, Games, Education, And Solutions/Tips and Tricks. I am a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence or virtue.

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