Need help for adding a create new txt option to right-click context "New"

raptorex · Feb 27, 2026

antspants said:
And that will create a new document then instantly open it in Notepad++??

What’s the default Notepad++ file, it’s txt isn’t it?
Should never have removed the entry in the first place.

You can get it back. All you gotta do is install notepad back but I dont want it.

raptorex · Feb 27, 2026

Edwin said:
Create your own...

View attachment 164607

Almost there but need to add it to the existing New

Edwin · Feb 28, 2026

raptorex said:
Almost there but need to add it to the existing New

You can do that without doing all the crap I posted about.
Just set Notepad++ as your default and run the reg script @Skeptic Mike posted.

raptorex · Mar 1, 2026

Edwin said:
You can do that without doing all the crap I posted about.
Just set Notepad++ as your default and run the reg script @Skeptic Mike posted.

View attachment 164626

this is not happening without windows notepad installed. The moment you uninstall it, it's gone :dizzy:

. Remember I only have Notepad++. Btw,I use winrar and wonder how they were able to add winrar entries in there. It should be the same thing they did?

Edwin · Mar 1, 2026

raptorex said:
This is not happening without windows notepad installed. The moment you uninstall it, it's gone.

Okay, then you have to 'restore' Legacy Notepad:

Code:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[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

... then run @Skeptic Mike 's script, then set Notepad++ as your default.

raptorex · Mar 1, 2026

Edwin said:

Okay, then you have to 'restore' Legacy Notepad:

Code:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[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

... then run @Skeptic Mike 's script, then set Notepad++ as your default.

Again I don't have legacy notepad neither do I want to restore it. Told you the moment you uninstall those it's gone. There is gotta be way to do it. Cuz look at the winrar. All winrar entries are added to 'new' upon installing it

Edwin · Mar 1, 2026

raptorex said:
Again I don't have legacy notepad neither do I want to restore it. Told you the moment you uninstall those it's gone. There is gotta be way to do it. Cuz look at the winrar. All winrar entries are added to 'new' upon installing it

Okay..., you can try the following, if you want to, but, I'm warning you, you better be comfortable messing with the Registry, back everything up, document or take screenshots of existing, better yet, export the keys you're gonna mess with!!!

You're going to perform all the following under Computer\HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT :

Create a new key, name it notepad:

Go back to .txt and change the Default string to notepad:

Make Notepad++ your default and you should be good to go.

More caveats:
I have not witnessed any negative repercussions from these Registry writes but, use caution!
There is a possibility that if you do enable Legacy Notepad, from Optional Features, it could cause issues!

Edwin · Mar 1, 2026

Update:
It still works as intended above, even if you enable Legacy Notepad.
However, you can't change the default to Legacy Notepad unless you perform the full txtfilelegacy Registry hack.

You can, however, change the default to others...

Scannerman · Mar 1, 2026

Edwin said:
True dat! I just don't like the Notepad++ icon cuz it's fecking ugly!!!

View attachment 164613

Can't change the icon?

Skeptic Mike · Mar 1, 2026

We could follow the official instructions: Extending Shortcut Menus - Win32 apps

I tested this using Windows sandbox, which doesn't have any version of notepad installed. It does have an entry HKCR\.txt but that doesn't have a default value (ProgID). That’s required. And the ProgID needs to have a default value which is used as part of the name of the new file. Apparently you can add a string value FriendlyTypeName with the name of your choice instead.

With the ShellNew key under HKCR\.txt with the string value NullFile, it all works. (Windows Sandbox can now create new text files but still has no executable associated with .txt files.)

I checked the ItemName expanded string value in my previous suggestion. It points to a string supplied by notepad.exe which resolves to "New Text Document" in English Windows. I've no idea what it's meant to do, as omitting it makes no difference.

The option to use a Command value described in the documentation might be useful, but I couldn’t get it to work when I had a quick try. and I didn't find any examples of how to do it. Even if it did work, as @Edwin has pointed out, you'd have to think carefully about the options you chose, which would be affected by how you normally use NotePad++. I think there's some kind of discussion forum for NotePad++, perhaps you could ask there.

Edwin · Mar 1, 2026

Scannerman said:
Can't change the icon?

Yeah, but I can't remember how I did it last time!

Edwin · Mar 1, 2026

Skeptic Mike said:
... you'd have to think carefully about the options you chose...

Yup! If you hack away like I did, you can create a really big mess in a hurry!
I basically emulated the keys from some other entry, one by one, til it worked!
And, that was in the ROOT, if there was another user on my machine, it would probably screw a lot of ~~shi~~, stuff up!

dacrone · Mar 2, 2026

Edwin said:
Yeah, but I can't remember how I did it last time!

Nirsoft

Edwin · Mar 2, 2026

Edwin said:
Yeah, but I can't remember how I did it last time!

dacrone said:

Nirsoft

Click to expand...

It's all comin back to me now...

I got it.
Just had to add the DefaultIcon sub-key, Computer\HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Applications\notepad++.exe\DefaultIcon

raptorex · Mar 2, 2026

Edwin said:
Okay..., you can try the following, if you want to, but, I'm warning you, you better be comfortable messing with the Registry, back everything up, document or take screenshots of existing, better yet, export the keys you're gonna mess with!!!

You're going to perform all the following under Computer\HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT :

Create a new key, name it notepad:
View attachment 164717

Go back to .txt and change the Default string to notepad:
View attachment 164718

Make Notepad++ your default and you should be good to go.

View attachment 164719

More caveats:
I have not witnessed any negative repercussions from these Registry writes but, use caution!
There is a possibility that if you do enable Legacy Notepad, from Optional Features, it could cause issues!

Unfortunately, it didnt work. I was able to add those keys as suggested but I dont have ShellNew key somehow. what is in your ShewllNew key? Btw I dont have either legacy or windows nodepad. and Default .txt is notepad+

Edwin · Mar 2, 2026

raptorex said:
I dont have ShellNew key

Add it.

dacrone · Mar 2, 2026

Edwin said:
It's all comin back to me now...
I got it.
Just had to add the DefaultIcon sub-key, Computer\HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Applications\notepad++.exe\DefaultIcon

Nirsoft FilesTypeMan makes it easier (especially when people don't know much about the registry). also, to edit the New submenu...

Create:
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.npp

Set (Default) to:
NotepadPP.File

New > Key:
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\NotepadPP.File\shell\open\command

Set (Default) to:
"C:\Program Files\Notepad++\notepad++.exe" "%1"

(use your path to your notepad++.exe in above)

Edwin · Mar 2, 2026

dacrone said:
Nirsoft FilesTypeMan makes it easier (especially when people don't know much about the registry). also, to edit the New submenu...

Create:
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.npp

Set (Default) to:
NotepadPP.File

New > Key:
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\NotepadPP.File\shell\open\command

Set (Default) to:
"C:\Program Files\Notepad++\notepad++.exe" "%1"

(use your path to your notepad++.exe in above)

That didn't work.

dacrone · Mar 2, 2026

Edwin said:
That didn't work.

hmm. Worked on the 25h2 laptop I tested it on. I’ll check some stuff and post back

Edwin · Mar 2, 2026

dacrone said:
hmm. Worked on the 25h2 laptop I tested it on. I’ll check some stuff and post back

Post the reg file(s) themselves.

Need help for adding a create new txt option to right-click context "New"

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