How To Restore Classic Notepad in Windows 11

Don’t like the new user interface or AI feature in Notepad? Follow the below steps to restore classic Notepad in Windows 11.

Microsoft updated the Notepad app to improve its user interface to match the overall Windows 11 design and added new features such as tabs, support for dark theme, autocorrect, spell check, and AI functionality.

While these changes are great, they make the new Notepad app bulky and way too busy. If you like the good old classic Notepad with barebones features and lightning fast speed, this tutorial is for you. In it, I will show you how to restore the classic Notepad in simple steps. Let’s get started.

Before You Begin

• Enabling classic Notepad required editing the Windows registry.
• Administrator rights are required to follow the below steps.
• The below steps assume that the classic Notepad is installed or present in your system. If the steps didn’t work or you are unsure, follow the troubleshooting section. It shows you how to check and install classic Notepad.

Restore Classic Notepad in Windows 11

1. Open the Settings app (press Windows key + I).
2. Go to “Apps” > “Advanced app settings” page.
3. Click “App execution aliases“.
4. Turn OFF the “Notepad” toggle.
5. Press “Windows key + R” to open Run dialog.
6. Type “regedit” and click “OK“.
7. Go to the “HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\txtfilelegacy\Shell” folder.
8. Right-click the “Shell” folder.
9. Select “New” > “Key“.
10. Name the new folder “Open“.
11. Right-click the “Open” folder.
12. Select “New” > “Key“.
13. Name the new folder “Command“.
14. Double-click the “Default” value on the right panel.
15. Type C:\Windows\system32\notepad.exe "%1" in the “Value Data” field.
16. Click “OK“.
17. Close the Registry Editor.
18. Restart your system.
19. With that, you’ve enabled classic Notepad.
20. When opening a text file, right-click and select “Open with” and then the classic Notepad.

Good to know: How to restore classic Windows Photo Viewer in Windows 11

Detailed Steps (With Screenshots)

Important note: The below steps assume that the classic Notepad is installed or present in your system. If the steps didn’t work or you are unsure, follow the troubleshooting section. It shows you how to check and install classic Notepad.

First, we need to disable the modern Notepad’s app execution alias. To do that, open the Settings app by pressing the “Windows key + I” shortcut. Next, go to the “Apps” tab from the sidebar and then click the “Advanced app settings” option.

Next, click the “App execution aliases” option.

On this page, scroll down and turn OFF the “Notepad” toggle. This disables the modern Notepad’s app execution alias.

After that, we need to modify the registry to associate the text file with the classic notepad app. To do that, press “Windows key + R” to open the Run dialog, type “regedit“, and click “OK“. This opens the Windows Registry Editor.

Once the registry opens, go to the following folder.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\txtfilelegacy\Shell

Here, right-click the “Shell” folder, select “New” > “Key” to create a new sub-folder under it. Rename it to “Open“.

Next, right-click the “Open” folder, select “New” > “Key” to create a new sub-folder under it. Rename it to “Command“.

Ensure the “Command” folder is selected on the left panel and double-click the “Default” folder.

Paste the following path in the “Value Data” field and click “OK“.

C:\Windows\system32\notepad.exe "%1"

Finally, close the Registry Editor and restart your system. After restarting, you’ve restored the classic Notepad app in Windows 11. You can access it by typing “notepad” in the Run dialog (Windows key + R).

Note: To open the classic Notepad from the Start menu, follow the “Add classic Notepad to Start menu” section below.

Good to know: How to restore classic Task Manager in Windows 11

Make Classic Notepad Default for Opening Text Files

Even after restoring the classic Notepad app, your text files open in the modern Notepad app. If you don’t want that, you must change the default app to open the text file. Here’s how:

1. Right-click on any text file.
2. Select “Open with” > “Choose another app“.
3. Select the classic Notepad app.
4. Click the “Always” option.
5. With that, your text files will open in classic Notepad.

Note: If you don’t see the classic Notepad app in the “Open with” menu, scroll down and click the “Choose another app on your PC” option. Next, go to the “C:\Windows\system32” folder, select “notepad.exe” file, and click “Open”. After that, follow steps 3 & 4 above.

Good to know: How to make Windows 11 look like Windows 10

Add Classic Notepad to Start Menu

Since the classic Notepad is available by default, you cannot open it from the Start menu even after restoring it. To fix it, you must manually add the classic Notepad shortcut to the Start menu folder. Here’s how to do it.

1. Right-click on the desktop.
2. Select “New” > “Shortcut“.
3. Type C:\Windows\System32\notepad.exe in the location field.
4. Click “Next“.
5. Type “Classic Notepad” as the name and click “Finish“.
6. Select the new shortcut and press “Ctrl + X“.
7. Press “Windows key + R” to open the Run dialog.
8. Type “shell:Common Start Menu” and click “OK“.
9. Press “Ctrl + V” to paste the shortcut. Click “Yes” if prompted.
10. With that, you’ve added the classic Notepad to the Start menu.

Good to know: How to restore classic Start menu in Windows 11

Troubleshooting Steps

Check and install classic Notepad in Windows 11

By default, classic notepad is installed as an optional feature in Windows 11.

To check whether your system has classic notepad or not, open the Settings app (Windows key + R) and go to the “System” > “Optional features” page. Here, type “Notepad” in the search bar under the “Added features” section. If your system has classic Notepad, you will see it in the search results.

If your system doesn’t have the classic Notepad app, you can install it. To do that, click the “View features” button next to “Add an optional feature”.

Search for “Notepad“, select it, and click the “Next“. Click “Add” to install the classic Notepad app.

Good to know: How to restore classic right-click menu in Windows 11

Wrapping Up — Restoring Classic Notepad in Windows 11 and Using It

As you can see, while it’s not straightforward, it is pretty simple to restore the classic Notepad app. Once enabled, don’t forget to associate the text files with the classic Notepad app. Optionally, add the classic Notepad shortcut to the Start menu so that it’s easier to open it like any other app in your system.

If you have any questions or need help, comment below. I’ll be happy to assist.