Shell Extension

Alternatives

Notepad++ has Settings > Preferences > File Association which will add a Windows file-association, so that the default action when you double-click a particular type of file will be to open that file in Notepad++. If you have Administrator privileges, that setting may be an alternative option for you.

If you are willing to edit your registry†, there are some more options:

Manual “Edit with Notepad++” Action

For the older classic Windows context menu (for Windows 10 and earlier), you can manually add an “Edit with Notepad++” action to your registry using your favorite registry-editing method†. You could save the appropriate script below as a .reg file and run it, and it will update your registry for you. Or you can use regedit.exe to use the GUI to edit the keys and values mentioned in the .reg files. (To remove the manual entry, just remove the keys that are populated by these scripts or that you populated in regedit.)

(If you are using Windows 11, see the workarounds (below).)

SINGLE USER

This .reg adds the entry for a single user, and should not require administrative privileges:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Classes\*\shell\Notepad++]
@="Edit With Notepad++"
"Icon"="C:\\Program Files\\Notepad++\\notepad++.exe,0"

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Classes\*\shell\Notepad++\command]
@="\"C:\\Program Files\\Notepad++\\notepad++.exe\" \"%1\""

(If your installation is not in c:\Program Files\Notepad++, you will have to adjust that script.)

ALL USERS

This .reg adds the entry for all users on a machine, and will require administrative privileges:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*\shell\Notepad++]
@="Edit With Notepad++"
"Icon"="C:\\Program Files\\Notepad++\\notepad++.exe,0"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*\shell\Notepad++\command]
@="\"C:\\Program Files\\Notepad++\\notepad++.exe\" \"%1\""

(If your installation is not in c:\Program Files\Notepad++, you will have to adjust that script.)

Windows 11 Right-Click Workarounds

Windows 11 hides the old right click menu, so even with a normal installation or if you’ve manually added those associations, the Edit with Notepad++ might not be visible for you in Windows 11; however, Notepad++'s installer was updated, so it should put the action in the main Windows 11 right-click menu again. If you don’t see the entry, the Windows right click menu contains a Show More Options action which will bring up the classic right click context menu with the old actions; this can also be accessed using the Shift+F10 shortcut or Shift+RightClick on a file instead of right-clicking, depending on which build of Win 11 you are using.

If that is not sufficient for you, <https://www.tomshardware.com/how-to/windows-11-classic-context-menus> describes a possible method of changing your registry† to get the classic right click context menu by default again in Windows 11.

If you would rather have it in your modern Windows 11 right click, and are willing to lose Windows’s “pin to home” feature, the following .reg files might bring Edit with Notepad++ to your Windows 11 right click†:

Single User

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Classes\*\shell\pintohome]
"MUIVerb"="Edit with Notepad++"

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Classes\*\shell\pintohome\command]
@="\"C:\\Program Files\\Notepad++\\notepad++.exe\" \"%1\""

(If your installation is not in c:\Program Files\Notepad++, you will have to adjust that script.)

All Users (requires admin privileges)

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*\shell\pintohome]
"MUIVerb"="Edit with Notepad++"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*\shell\pintohome\command]
@="\"C:\\Program Files\\Notepad++\\notepad++.exe\" \"%1\""

(If your installation is not in c:\Program Files\Notepad++, you will have to adjust that script.)

There was a brief experiment with using this pintohome workaround on Windows 11 via the installer; however, in modern Notepad++, the installer was updated to add to the main Windows 11 right click, rather than being being relegated to the Show More Options sub-menu.

Registry Edit Warning

† Warning: editing your registry can be dangerous; edit your registry at your own risk; the developers of Notepad++ and contributors to this documentation cannot and will not be held responsible for mistakes made during registry changes or unintendended consequences of such edits