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Notepad++ Shortcuts – Vista 64bit Update

My old XP registry trick for launching Notepad++ by typing n broke on Vista x64, so here's the updated reg file plus shell integration.

Donn Felker

Donn Felker

2007.03.14 · 1 min read

In a previous post I gave an example of how to run Notepad++ from the command line by typing the letter n. This was the solution for Windows XP. Shortcutting the name is a tip I learned from Scott Hanselman, check out his blog for tons of other good stuff.

I recently upgraded to Vista (x64) and found out that my reg edit wouldnt work any more so I created a new one.

You can use this new reg edit to run Notepad++ from the command line in Vista (x64).

Code 

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\App Paths\n.exe]
@=“C:\\Program Files (x86)\\Notepad++\\notepad++.exe”

Shell Integration

Notepad++ does not install shell integration in Vista (x64 in my case) so I created another registry entry for this as well. This will enable the right click and selection of “Notepad++” into the windows context. Like this:

Download the shell integration file belwo.

Downloads
‘n’ Shortcut: n.zip (.31 KB)

Shell Integration:

vista_x64_notepadpp_shell_integration.zip (.34 KB)

Donn Felker

Written by Donn Felker

I've spent 25+ years shipping software, writing books, and running my own companies. I write about thinking clearly, working for yourself, and doing real work while AI rewrites the rules. New essays land here every week.

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