Notepad won't close

joe2989 · Dec 24, 2023

Hi all,
First post. glad to be here. Not sure how to explain but no matter how i set the notepad options nothing helps. Normally I always save the file I am working on then close, but It keeps showing files I have not used in a long time one after another asking if i want to save or cancel etc, and they are endless..... Driving me nuts.. I always saved them if I changed them, I have to cntrl alt del to get out of it.

Thanks for any ideas. Seems this all started not long ago. I need the machine to forget about any files i opened and closed in past history. When notepad starts it is set to a new window, and opening file is to a new window, but it does not matter how I set on any of that for some reason/. SFC /verifyonly shows no errors

Thanks.

zebal · Dec 24, 2023

Hello and welcome to forums!

While notepad is opened click on gear button in top right to open notepad settings...
In settings expand last drop down option which says "When notepad starts"...
Enable "open a new window"

exit all notepad instances and next time you open notepad it should always start with blank window or with file which you open.

joe2989 · Dec 24, 2023

Hi zebal, It is already set to that. Thanks I have some kind of a glitch I suspect

zebal · Dec 24, 2023

The change should have the effect only with new notepad instances, existing ones should be closed.
Not sure what's wrong if this doesn't help but it works as expected on my computer.

Haydon · Dec 24, 2023

joe2989 said:
Hi all,
First post. glad to be here. Not sure how to explain but no matter how i set the notepad options nothing helps. Normally I always save the file I am working on then close, but It keeps showing files I have not used in a long time one after another asking if i want to save or cancel etc, and they are endless..... Driving me nuts.. I always saved them if I changed them, I have to cntrl alt del to get out of it.

Thanks for any ideas. Seems this all started not long ago. I need the machine to forget about any files i opened and closed in past history. When notepad starts it is set to a new window, and opening file is to a new window, but it does not matter how I set on any of that for some reason/. SFC /verifyonly shows no errors

Thanks.

Since Notepad became a tabbed app, I had to change my work habit from closing windows (x at the top right of the window) to closing tabs (x on the right hand side of each tab) I left everything at the default settings. Works well for me

joe2989 · Dec 24, 2023

I have no fricking idea whats going on, these are what I see for text file after text file if I try to close just the one I was working on and I manually saved it.

zebal · Dec 24, 2023

Make a backup of your text files that are reported as not saved first.

Then keep clicking "Reload new version" and "don't save" until all tabs are closed, and finally close the notepad.

joe2989 · Dec 24, 2023

Ok thanks I think I got it. I noticed a boat load of tabs open on top of any txt file I open. Never saw that before.... I closed one after the other and some asked to be saved and I said no,, and eventually they all closed. The ones I didn't save were fine, I know I always save a file when i am done with it like the old days , top left hit save. So i didn't appear to lose anything.
THIS is annoying but now it works correctly, I am wiser and thanks to you folks I learned something.
Thanks again

zebal · Dec 24, 2023

Glad to hear it's done! :thumbsup:

joe2989 · Dec 24, 2023

How did all those tabs stay open even after a restart ? WTF ?

joe2989 · Dec 24, 2023

Life would be much simpler if I could put notepad back the way is always was...... if you forget to save something, it asks you when you try to close the file if you want to save it...

zebal · Dec 24, 2023

"Open contents from previous session" option remembers all documents that you opened.
If you don't manually close tabs then over time notepad has so many tabs it's beyond useful.

I don't like this options which btw. should by default be off rather than on, but MS knows better than us lol

joe2989 · Dec 24, 2023

I guess I must have shut down with text files open a few times, it used to tell you if you left something open......

Edwin · Dec 24, 2023

zebal said:
If you don't manually close tabs then over time notepad has so many tabs it's beyond useful.

It's baffling how such a simple app like Notepad can get so screwed up!

I still use the native Notepad...

zebal · Dec 24, 2023

Edwin said:
I still use the native Notepad...

Where did you get it?
I just opened it from C:\Windows but it still opens store app notepad not native one.

Edwin · Dec 24, 2023

zebal said:
Where did you get it?

It's still in C:\Windows\System32\notepad.exe, but, you can't have the Store version installed.

Scott · Dec 24, 2023

joe2989 said:
if you forget to save something, it asks you when you try to close the file if you want to save it...

Mine asks...

zebal · Dec 24, 2023

Edwin said:
but, you can't have the Store version installed.

Ah that's why, thanks for sharing didn't know that

Edwin · Dec 24, 2023

zebal said:
Ah that's why, thanks for sharing didn't know that

There's also a reg file you have to run if you want the native Notepad to follow certain protocols.
I'll post it later, I gotta jet for now!

Haydon · Dec 24, 2023

I think the new, tabbed Notepad is a acquired taste. I like it now, having all the Notepad files available for viewing at the end of the work day and closing them all for the next work day