How to replace notepad.exe with notepad2.exe

Notepad2 is an enhanced version of the default notepad that comes with all Windows OS versions. Notepad is handy but pretty plain vanilla.

I for the most part learned HTML and CSS using a basic text editor. Back in 1996 we did not have all of the fancy editors. Looking back it was a blessing because I had to learn to actually code a document. Today that has enabled me to look at the doc made by some of the editors and actually read and know where a mistake is.

I am ever appalled at the redundant code these editors place in a doc, but for those who do not choose to learn HTML/CSS it is better than nothing.

Back then my major gripe with notepad was it did not have the perks (like colored text) that came with wordpad. But I made due.

Now a new notepad2 has been created by Florian Balmer.

Once you download this handy little tool everyone wonders "how can I exchange it with my old notepad".

Since I am not well versed on the real techy stuff on the computer and am also rather hesitant to mess around with my Windows Registry they were a last option (desperation if you choose). So I hit google for a remedy. There were a number of remedies available but none of the ones I tried worked for me. It seems most of the solutions had not been addressed since about 2004. I wondered if I could simply overwrite my original notepad.exe and that would be a simple solution. It was not! It seems windows has a few built in protections that we do not know about. So every time I copied my new notepad2.exe (now renamed notepad.exe) into the appropriate spot before I could even try it out magically it ended up being the old version. How did I know this because the old version was 68kb and the new was 251kb.

After about an hour of playing with no success I finally got it to work. Here are the steps I took.

1. Open windows explorer and to Tools ... Folder Options ... View Tab. Scroll down until you see the things noted with red in the image below. Change your settings to this if you do not already have it set that way. Then click apply and ok. DO NOT forget to come back and put your settings back to what they were originally.

notepad2


Now in windows explorer go to: C:\WINDOWS ... scroll down the list until you find notepad.exe. I open another explorer window and travel to my folder where the newly named notepad2.exe is located. I position them side by side so that I can drag the new notepad.exe into the Windows folder.

Select the notepad.exe (the renamed one) RIGHT click it and drag it into your adjacent WINDOWS folder. When you release your mouse button you will be asked if you want to move the file or copy it. Choose Copy.

notepad2


Immediately and new window will pop open asking if you want to over write the one in WINDOWS. Select yes.

Right click the new file in the windows folder (you will know it is the correct one because it will be 251 KB). Go to the bottom of the little fly out window and click properties. The properties window will open and go to the bottom and put a check in READ ONLY. Then click the okay button.

notepad2


Repeat this process in the following directories:
C:\WINDOWS\system32
C:\WINDOWS\system32\dllcache

When you have completed this process go back to your windows explorer and change your Folder Options back to their original settings.

Next time you open your notepad you will have an enhanced version of notepad that lets you do far more than the default version that comes with your system.

This is what your new notepad looks like with the color code system added. Pretty cool huh?

notepad2