Notepad++ on Windows 11

Windows 11 ships with its own tabbed Notepad, but it still lacks syntax highlighting, regular-expression search across files, macros and plugins. Notepad++ 8.9.8 fills that gap and installs on Windows 11 in a couple of minutes.

Choose the right build

• x64 — Intel and AMD PCs, which covers the large majority of Windows 11 machines.
• ARM64 — Windows on ARM laptops and tablets, such as Snapdragon-powered Copilot+ PCs. The native build avoids emulation overhead.

Check Settings > System > About > System type if you are not sure which processor family you have, then head to the Notepad++ download page.

Installing on Windows 11

1. Run the downloaded installer and confirm the User Account Control prompt.
2. If SmartScreen appears for a freshly published release, select More info, verify the publisher, and continue.
3. Keep the default components unless you want extra localizations or themes.
4. Finish the wizard and launch the editor from the Start menu or by pressing the Windows key and typing "Notepad++".

A longer walkthrough with every installer screen is in the installation guide.

Getting "Edit with Notepad++" back

Windows 11 introduced a compact right-click menu and pushes classic shell commands one level deeper. Right-click a file and choose Show more options, or press Shift+F10, to reach Edit with Notepad++.

Making Notepad++ the default text editor

Right-click a .txt, .log or .json file, choose Open with > Choose another app, pick Notepad++, and select Always use this app. Repeat once per file extension you care about.

Windows 11 questions

Still on the previous release of Windows? Read the Windows 10 installation guide. Want a no-install setup? Use the portable version.