Notepad not opening; old version does from system32, not from context menu

Edwin · Oct 19, 2025

Georgey said:
I see this

Uninstall that...

Georgey · Oct 19, 2025

I'm not sure what you mean, I'm referring to all three double click on the file, right click and either 'open' or 'open with' Notepad.

Georgey · Oct 19, 2025

Do you mean I can't use Notepad if I'm signed in to my account on my laptop only not to MS?
If so, I totally agree that f*k them!

Edwin · Oct 19, 2025

Georgey said:
I'm referring to all three double click on the file, right click and either 'open' or 'open with' Notepad.

All 3 of these work for me for classic Notepad, with the exception of the circled one...

Georgey said:
Do you mean I can't use Notepad if I'm signed in to my account on my laptop only not to MS?

I don't have a clue, never mind all that..., just uninstall the modern Notepad, make sure you save and run the reg file as posted. It should work.

Georgey · Oct 19, 2025

Thanks, whatever happens.

Skeptic Mike · Oct 19, 2025

I can't see the file type information from your screen shot of the properties because the open with dialog is in the way. However, it doesn't look quite right.

I'd like to check that .txt is connected appropriately

Can you look at HKCR\.txt and HKCR\txtfilelegacy

and

and tell us what you see?

Georgey · Oct 19, 2025

I see this only:

Skeptic Mike · Oct 19, 2025

Unfortunately, you didn't select .txt in the first screenshot. So the values we see are those in HKCR. The screen shot shows this in address bar at the top. They do seem odd, as though the intention had been to show that a .qInstaller file is a vbscript file. The other value which I assume is ProgrammaticAccessOnly only makes sense in a verb key under a shell jey for a file extension or file type. Do you have any idea how they got there? This looks like hand editing. Do you think that you might have done this elsewhere?

Edwin · Oct 19, 2025

Sumpthin ain't right...

Georgey · Oct 19, 2025

I hope this time I did what you said.
I didn't mess around this with in the registry.

Edwin said:
Sumpthin ain't right...

That much is what I understand

Skeptic Mike · Oct 20, 2025

Edwin said:
Sumpthin ain't right...

Yes, but now I think I know what it is.

Georgey said:
I hope this time I did what you said.

Unfortunately you didn't. you showed the .text rather than the .txt entry.

Georgey said:
I didn't mess around this with in the registry.

Probably not directly in this case. But you have used xPad text editor. and that does appear in the options for 'open with'. I think you must have tried the option to associate xPad with .txt files.

I tried xPad out in the Windows Sandbox using NirSoft's RegFromApp to work out what it did. It didn't appear to have an option to undo this, but that may be because theSandbox doesn't have any version of notepad by default. The only text editor it has is edit.exe the 'new' terminal mode editor.

xPad sets .txt files as type textfile and writes the necessary information to make it the editor for textfile type. This probably works ok in Windows 10, but Windows 11 uses a different type for .txt files: txtfilelegacy.

So, our suggestions won't work unless you change the type back to txtfilelegacy. xPad hasn't had any updates for some time, and in this respect at least isn't compatible with Windows 11.

dacrone · Oct 20, 2025

stop messing with the registry, run these steps in order:
open powershell as admin and run:

Code:

Remove-WindowsCapability -Online -Name Microsoft.Windows.Notepad~~~~0.0.1.0

reboot
open powershell as admin and run:
Add-WindowsCapability -Online -Name Microsoft.Windows.Notepad~~~~0.0.1.0
reboot
Settings > Apps > Advanced App Settings > App Execution Aliases > Notepad Radio Button > OFF

Disable "A new version of Notepad is available." Banner - save and run this .reg

Code:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Notepad]
"ShowStoreBanner"=dword:00000000

Edwin · Oct 20, 2025

Probably the easiest for the OP would be to just Download Notepad and install it!

MisterEd · Oct 21, 2025

Edwin said:
Probably the easiest for the OP would be to just Download Notepad and install it!

I agree. If the OP would have done that then there would have been no problems.

I have the "Classic" Notepad installed. The Windows 11 Notepad is the default but I can choose the "Classic" Notepad if I want.

2025-10-20 23_19_55-Greenshot - File Explorer.webp

Georgey · Oct 21, 2025

xpad seemed better than notepad++, now per your advice I uninstalled it; still no result.
My next attempt to show you what asked for.

I've run the two powershell commands, the reg word was already 0; still no result.

I've downloaded the old notepad, as I did before, still no result.

Shouldn't I just give it up and use another text editor?

Georgey · Oct 21, 2025

Some good news at last.
Now a new item appears in the context menu 'Edit with notebook (classic)'. With this it opens.
Is it possible to set it as default, go this by just click on the file name?

Notepad not opening; old version does from system32, not from context menu

♦ ♦

My Computers My Computers

At a glance

At a glance

Member

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Member

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

♦ ♦

My Computers My Computers

At a glance

At a glance

Member

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Well-known member

My Computers My Computers

At a glance

At a glance

Member

Attachments

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Well-known member

My Computers My Computers

At a glance

At a glance

♦ ♦

My Computers My Computers

At a glance

At a glance

Member

Attachments

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Well-known member

My Computers My Computers

At a glance

At a glance

Well-known member

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

♦ ♦

My Computers My Computers

At a glance

At a glance

Well-known member

My Computers My Computers

At a glance

At a glance

Member

Attachments

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Member

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Similar threads

My Computers

My Computer

My Computer

My Computers

My Computer

My Computers

My Computer

My Computers

My Computers

My Computer

My Computers

My Computer

My Computers

My Computers

My Computer

My Computer