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Hello,
I am a blind user who frequently uses the Notepad application. On my Windows 11 laptop, I’m having difficulty to read the content and Braille. I can hear it with my screen reader, but I can’t read it properly. So, when I want to write code properly, I use my Windows 10 PC. Is there a way to have the old version of Notepad? If not, is there any alternative?
Regards,
Olivier
Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.
This is tested and working, no uninstallation necessary.
Open Settings > Apps
In the center pane select Advanced app settings > App execution aliases
Toggle off Notepad
Then go to the old Notepad at C:\Windows\Notepad.exe and right click > Pin to the taskbar/Pin to start/Send to Desktop
Launch the old Notepad from the shortcut you just created
not working for me and I find no other wait to have the old windows 10 notepad.
Not sure what you tried. But check out this article.
How to Restore Old Classic Notepad in Windows 11
https://www.winhelponline.com/blog/restore-old-classic-notepad-windows/
I've tried this (classic-notepad.bat), but a new window just blinks and closes, and notepad doesn't open in the end; what should be the reason for that?
Open Settings > Apps
In the center pane select Advanced app settings > App execution aliases
Toggle off Notepad
Then go to the old Notepad at C:\Windows\Notepad.exe and right click > Pin to the taskbar/Pin to start/Send to Desktop
Thank you for this, _AW_. It worked for me on Windows 11 Pro for Workstations, version 10.0.22641.
After the setting change, running "notepad" (or C:\Windows\notepad.exe or C:\Windows\System32\notepad.exe) from a command prompt now takes me to old Notepad. Before I made the the setting change they all took me to the new Notepad. I think the setting change is probably just a registry setting which C:\Windows\notepad.exe queries, to decide whether or not to immediately chain to the new Notepad, on startup.
Surprisingly, however, the existing shortcuts to the new Notepad which I'd already pinned to the Start menu and Taskbar still takes me to the new Notepad.
M$ seems to have gone to considerable trouble hide how that works. There's no "Notepad" shortcut file in either C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\ or C:\Users%USERNAME%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs. Task Manager reports that the classic Notepad is in C:\Windows\ but the new Notepad is in C:\Program Files\WindowsApps\Microsoft.WindowsNotepad_11.2405.13.0_x64__8wekyb3d8bbwe\Notepad.
Indeed, there is a notepad.exe program in that folder, but simply running it directly does not work. It doesn't report an error, it just exits immediately. Apparently it only works if chained-to from C:\Windows\notepad.exe. Why does M$ have to be so obscure about everything??
But, anyhow, now I have both working shortcuts on my Start menu: one to "Notepad" (the new one), and one to "Notepad (classic)".
After disabling the app extension alias, to make the file extensions work as well, remove the "NoOpenWith" empty string from HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Classes\Applications\notepad.exe (this is for windows 11 and works right away. Afterwards, right click and do open with and you can see the old notepad in the list, and may make it the default app for any file extension of your choice)
