Juggling multiple instances of Notepad isn’t easy, but I was thrilled when Windows 11 added tabs to Notepad. Now, a single window holds all my open Notepad files without cluttering up my taskbar.
What Are Notepad Tabs?
Windows 11 changed Notepad to contain all your open files in one window, much like browsers. For someone like me who makes notes and lists in Notepad all the time, it’s nice not having five more Notepad icons open on my taskbar or having to switch between them all. Now, I just glance at the tabs and click the one I need.
Getting and Removing Notepad Tabs
All you need to get tabs is to update to Windows 11 22H2. If your PC’s up-to-date and supports Windows 11, Notepad tabs should already be enabled. If you’re having any issues and Windows is up-to-date, try downloading Notepad directly. As we all know, sometimes Windows updates don’t go as planned, and it’s possible Notepad didn’t update correctly.
While I may love tabs, I know everyone doesn’t feel the same. If you hate them, you can revert them back to the old version of Notepad.
Press Win + I to open Settings and select Apps. Select Advanced app settings -> App execution alias.
Turn off Notepad.
Now, you have to create a new shortcut to Notepad. The current ones lead to the tabbed version. Navigate to Notepad’s executable, which is usually stored in C:\Windows. Right-click Notepad.exe and select Show more options. Choose to Pin to Start, Pin to Taskbar, or Create shortcut (you’ll be prompted to add one to the desktop).
Now, when you click your shortcut, you get the old version with no tabs. However, each time you open Notepad, there’s a banner to launch the new version instead. Just click the X to get rid of it each session.
Configuring Notepad Tabs
While Windows didn’t put in an option to remove Notepad tabs, you do have a few options to configure tabs to your preferences.
My personal favorite option is loading my previous session. I have several Notepad files I use regularly. Instead of having to open each separately every time I open Notepad, I just leave them up and close Notepad. When I re-open it, all my files are already open.
Open Notepad and click the settings cog at the top right. Expand When Notepad starts. Select to either Continue previous session or Start new session and discard unsaved changes.
That’s not all you can configure. In Notepad’s settings, choose whether you want to open new files in a tab or new window. This is a good compromise if you like tabs, but don’t want to use them all the time.
Expand the drop-down box beside Opening files in Notepad’s settings and select either Open in a new tab or Open in a new window. You’re still able to click the plus sign to open a new tab once Notepad is open, no matter what setting you choose here.
I’d also suggest changing the theme to match your tastes. This isn’t specific to tabs, but it’s nice to see Notepad support a Dark theme.
Open Notepad’s settings and expand App theme. Select between Light, Dark, and Use system setting.
Getting the Most From Notepad’s Tabs
Like most Windows apps, there are a variety of keyboard shortcuts to help you navigate things easier. From opening new tabs to jumping between them, here are the shortcuts I use:
- Ctrl + Tab – Switch between tabs
- Ctrl + Shift + Tab – Switch between tabs in reverse order
- Ctrl + N – Create a new tab
- Ctrl + W – Close current tab
- Ctrl + Shift + N – Open a new window (ideal if you’re not a tab person)
If you tend to have numerous tabs open at once, Notepad gives you a few ways to quickly close the tabs you don’t need. Of course, you can use the keyboard shortcut to close the current tab.
If you want to close every tab except the current one, right-click the current tab and select Close Other Tabs.
There’s also the option to Close tabs to the right. This closes every tab to the right of your current tab. I wish there was a left option as well, but a right option is better than nothing.
My favorite part about Notepad tabs is as long as at least one tab is a saved file, I can close my entire Notepad session, including other unsaved files, without losing anything. When I open Notepad again, all my tabs are still there, even after restarting my PC.
However, I highly recommend saving all your tabs if they’re important. Windows could change this functionality at any time. The good thing is, if you try to close Notepad and none of your tabs are saved, you’ll be prompted to save each tab before closing.
But, Notepad doesn’t have an auto-save feature. If you close an individual tab without saving it, it’s likely gone. If you haven’t shut down your PC yet, try one of the following recovery methods, though they don’t always work:
- Use Windows Search to search for
%AppData%. Press Enter to open your PC’s Roaming folder. Then, search this folder for .txt. This shows you recently created text files. If you see yours, open it and then save it. - Open File Explorer and navigate to %LocalAppData%\Microsoft\Windows\INetCache.
For something more robust than Notepad, even with tabs, try CherryTree, which is one of my favorites. Or, make the switch to Notion for online note-taking. Of course, if you’re an Android user, try these note taking apps.
Image credit: All images by Crystal Crowder
