How to Recover Deleted Files in Notepad++

Notepad++ replaces Notepad and is a free source code editor that allows users to edit files with a variety of file extensions. However, you may lose your unsaved files with Notepad++ if it freezes, crashes, or corrupts. This article covers practical methods for recovering unsaved files in Notepad++. Recover unsaved Notepad++ files from a backup folder or with professional data recovery software.

What is Notepad++ file?

Notepad++ is a free text and source code editor designed as a replacement for Notepad, supporting various programming languages. It operates within the MS Windows environment and is distributed under the GPL License. To ensure faster performance and a smaller file size, Notepad++ is developed in C++ using the native Win32 API and STL.

Notepad++ files are compatible with standard Notepad files. Although Notepad++ offers significantly more features than the original Notepad, it doesn't use a proprietary file format for saving files.

3 ways to recover deleted or unsaved files in Notepad++

We will present to you three techniques with stepwise guidance in the following for Notepad++ file recovery.

Way 1. Recover deleted or unsaved files in Notepad++ via data recovery software

Using professional recovery programs is the simplest way to get back erased Notepad files.  On computers, AOMEI FastRecovery is a dependable and easy-to-use data recovery solution for permanently erased files or undo deleted text.

Step 1. Install and launch AOMEI FastRecovery. Choose the exact partition or disk where your data lost and click Scan.

Step 2. Then, the recovery tool start to scan and search. lt will execute the “Quickly Scan" first for finding your deleted data fast, and then execute the “Deep Scan" for searching other lost data.

Step 3. Once the scan is completed, all deleted files, recycle bins and other missing files will be displayed. Please select the file you would like to recover and then click "Recover".

Step 4. Then, select a folder path to save your recovered files.

By following these steps, you can effectively recover your lost or deleted Notepad++ files from the chosen hard drive using the software. Remember to be patient during the scanning and recovery process, as it may take some time depending on the size and complexity of the data being recovered.

Way 2. Recover unsaved Notepad++ files from backup

Notepad++ has an auto backup tool to save files automatically, just as Microsoft's Office 365's automatic file-saving capability lets you restore unsaved PowerPoint files, Word documents, and Excel files.

By default the backup function is active; backup files will be kept on the local drive in the temporary folder for Notepad++. You’ll see how to recover unsaved files in Notepad++ from backup.

Step 1. Start Notepad ++ and open a new Notepad ++ file.

Step 2. Click on Settings and select Preference on the drop-down menu.

Step 3. Click Backup on the left panel and find the Notepad++ unsaved files location (usually, it is C:\Users\\AppData\Roaming\Notepad++\backup).

Note: To prevent loss of Notepad++ files, you can tick “Remember current session for next launch” and “Enable session snapshot and periodic backup” to set up the backup interval according to your needs.

Step 4. Navigate to the Notepad++ backup file directory on your computer, and get a list of Notepad++ backup files.

Step 5. Right-click the target file and select Open with Notepad++, then save it to a secure location.

Way 3. Recover deleted Notepad++ files from Previous Versions

It is also possible to find an answer to the issue "how to recover deleted files from Notepad++" by consulting earlier versions of the program. Previous Versions are either copies of files and folders that are stored in backups of the File History or files and folders that are automatically stored by Windows as part of a restoration point.

Suppose you have utilized File History to produce backups for files or launched a system restore on Windows. In that case, it makes it possible to recover files that have been deleted, lost, or overwritten entirely. How can files that have been erased using Notepad++ be recovered using older versions of the program?

Step 1. Navigate to the folder that contained the deleted Notepad++ files.

Step 2. Right-click the folder and choose Restore previous versions.

Step 3. From the list of previous versions of the deleted file, select the one you need and click Restore.

To sum up

The purpose of this post is to provide detailed instructions on how to recover deleted files in Notepad++ and restore files that have not been saved in Notepad++. You can attempt to restore lost Notepad++ files from a backup or place your trust in AOMEI FastRecovery to save you time and effort.