How to Fix Notepad Crashing on Windows & Recover Lost TXT File

Many people are used to working with Notepad due to its plain and simple text format. Microsoft revamps Notepad to offer a better user experience. Nevertheless, people still experience Notepad crashing from time to time. Try the following methods to fix your issue.

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Fix 1: Resize the Notepad Window

Windows Notepad is designed with a limitation of file size. If Notepad keeps crashing after you write certain lines, you can try to resize the Notepad window. Just move the cursor over the edge of the window and drag to resize the window. This method might solve your problem temporarily. You are probably suffering the same problem in the next time.

Additionally, if Notepad continues crashing when you try to open a document, it is probably because the file exceeds the maximum supported size of Notepad. You can try other text editors to open this file, like Notepad++, Microsoft Word, Google Docs, etc.

Fix 2: Reset Notepad

Software issues may lead to Notepad crashing as well. Windows 10/11 contains a Reset feature to help fix software issues. How to repair Notepad? You can work with the following steps.

Some users can find the Notepad software in Windows Settings > Apps; thus, they can click Modify to reset and repair the Notepad software. Some users have the Notepad by having the Notepad feature. How can these users reset the Notepad?

Step 1: Press Win + R to open the Run window.

Step 2: Type regedit into the text box and hit Enter to open the Registry Editor window.

Step 3: Head to HKEY_CURRENT_USER > SOFTWARE > Microsoft > Notepad. Then, right-click on Notepad and choose Delete from the context menu.

After deleting this registry key, your Notepad will be reset to its default settings.

Fix 3: Update the Latest Windows Version

If the Notepad keeps crashing after update, it is probably because this software is not compatible with the current Windows version. Alternatively, if you encounter similar crashes with other apps, the problem may be triggered by the running Windows build. You can check and install the latest Windows update to try to fix this issue.

Step 1: Press Win + I to open the Settings window.

Step 2: Choose Update & Security > Windows Update. Then, you can click Check for updates to find any pending updates.

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Fix 4: Run the SFC Command

Corrupted system files may trigger software crashes as well. Windows contains a system file repair utility to detect and repair corrupted or missing system files effectively. You can run the System File Checker to see if this method fixes Notepad crashing.

Step 1: Press Win + R to open the Run window.

Step 2: Type cmd and press Shift + Ctrl + Enter to run Command Prompt as administrator.

Step 3: Type sfc /scannow and hit Enter to execute this command.

Fix 5: Reinstall Notepad

The last method is uninstalling the Notepad app and reinstalling it. This helps to resolve issues caused by corrupted data on this software.

Step 1: Press Win + I to open Windows Settings.

Step 2: Navigate to System > Optional features. You can type Notepad into the box under Installed features to locate this feature quickly.

Step 3: Click on it and select Uninstall to uninstall it.

Step 4: Once the Notepad feature is removed, you can click Add a feature under the Optional features section to get it back.

Further Reading: Recover Lost/Unsaved Notepad File Caused by Notepad Crashing

Software crashes always happen unexpectedly. On most occasions, you don’t have any preparation for it; thus, it is highly likely that the file you are using will be lost. Can you recover the unsaved or lost Notepad file? Fortunately, yes.

If you don’t restart your computer, temporary files are not cleared so you can try to recover unsaved Notepad files with these files. If your Notepad files are lost after Notepad crashes, run MiniTool Power Data Recovery to get them back.

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To recover Notepad files in different cases, you can read this post:

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Final Words

After reading this post, you are supposed to know how to fix the Notepad crashing issue. Different triggers require different solutions. Hope you can find one method that suits your situation.