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Running Notepad++ From the command line

I’ve been using Notepad2 for quite awhile now and was recently introduced to Notepad++. I love saving time by launching Notepad2 by typing “n” into the command line. I save all the “otepad”s through the day. Its small, but hey, I learned it from Scott Hanselman, aka: the master of productivty.

After installing Notepad++ I realized I would never use it unless I could launch it with the same quick draw speed as of my favorite Notepad2. I had to type “Notepad++” in the command window to get it going. No! I had already eliminated the “otepad” and now I had two more characters on that same annoyance.

I fixed that annoyance by making a change to this registry key …

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\App Paths\Notepad++.exe]

I was able to change it to “nn” (yes, I’m still secretly attached to Notepad2 as we speak, but I’m weaning off of it). Now, I can fire up Notepad++ through the command line with a quick “nn”.

Here’s the registry file if you want to do it yourself.

Download

Notepad++RunFromLettersNN.zip (.35 KB)