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How to Replace Notepad with Microsoft Edit

Posted on February 1, 2026

Ever wished Windows had a better, more powerful text editor than Notepad? Notepad is okay for quick notes, but it’s pretty basic. Luckily, you can replace it with Microsoft Edit, a more advanced editor that comes with Microsoft Word. It’s a bit of a trick, but this guide will show you how to do it. We’ll walk through the steps to change the default program that opens when you click on a .txt file, so Microsoft Edit becomes your go-to text editor. Let’s get started!

Why Replace Notepad?

Notepad is simple, which is good for some things. But Microsoft Edit offers a lot more. Think about things like:

  • Better Formatting: You can change fonts, sizes, and colors easily.
  • Word Wrap: Text automatically wraps to the next line, so you don’t have to scroll forever.
  • More Features: Things like spell check and find/replace are built-in.
  • Familiar Interface: If you already use Microsoft Word, you’ll feel right at home.

Important Note: Microsoft Edit isn’t a standalone program. It’s a component of Microsoft Word (or other Microsoft Office applications). You need to have Word installed on your computer for this to work. If you don’t have Word, this method won’t be possible.

The key to replacing Notepad is changing what’s called a ‘file association.’ A file association tells Windows which program should open a specific type of file (like .txt files). By default, .txt files are associated with Notepad. We’re going to change that association to Microsoft Edit.

Step-by-Step Instructions

There are a couple of ways to do this. We’ll cover the easiest and most reliable method:

  1. Find a .txt File: Locate any .txt file on your computer. It could be a note you wrote, a simple text document, or anything with that extension.
  2. Right-Click and Choose ‘Open With’: Right-click on the .txt file. In the menu that pops up, hover over ‘Open With’.
  3. Select ‘Choose another app’: A new window will appear. Click on ‘Choose another app’.
  4. Find Microsoft Edit: A list of apps will appear. Scroll through the list until you find ‘Microsoft Edit’. If you don’t see it right away, click on ‘More apps’ to expand the list. If you still don’t see it, click on ‘Look for another app on this PC’.
  5. Browse to Microsoft Edit: When you click ‘Look for another app on this PC’, a file explorer window will open. Now, you need to find the actual Microsoft Edit executable file. This is usually located in the Microsoft Word installation directory. The path is typically something like:

C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\root\Office16\WINWORD.EXE

(The ‘Office16’ part might be different depending on your version of Microsoft Office – it could be Office15, Office14, etc.). Navigate to that folder and select WINWORD.EXE. Click ‘Open’.

  1. Important: Check the ‘Always use this app to open .txt files’ Box: Back in the ‘Open With’ window, make sure the box labeled ‘Always use this app to open .txt files’ is checked. This is what makes the change permanent.
  2. Click ‘OK’: Click the ‘OK’ button. The .txt file should now open in Microsoft Edit.

To be sure the change worked, try opening another .txt file. It should now automatically open in Microsoft Edit. You can also right-click on a .txt file, choose ‘Open With’, and Microsoft Edit should be the default option.

Troubleshooting

  • Microsoft Edit Not Showing Up: If you can’t find Microsoft Edit in the list of apps, double-check that you have Microsoft Word installed correctly. Also, ensure that the path to WINWORD.EXE is correct in the file explorer.
  • Change Doesn’t Stick: If the change doesn’t stick, make sure you checked the ‘Always use this app…’ box in step 7. Sometimes, Windows can be a little finicky, so try restarting your computer and then testing again.
  • Other Programs Interfering: Some third-party programs can interfere with file associations. If you suspect this is the case, try temporarily disabling those programs and then re-applying the file association.

Reverting to Notepad

If you decide you want to go back to using Notepad, you can follow the same steps, but this time choose Notepad from the ‘Open With’ list. Again, be sure to check the ‘Always use this app…’ box.

Beyond the Basics: Registry Editing (Advanced Users Only!)

For advanced users, you can also modify the file associations through the Windows Registry. However, this is not recommended for beginners, as incorrect changes to the registry can cause serious system problems. If you’re comfortable editing the registry, you can find detailed instructions online, but proceed with extreme caution and back up your registry first.

This method works because it tells Windows to associate the .txt file extension with the WINWORD.EXE executable, which launches Microsoft Word. Within Word, Microsoft Edit is available as an editor. It’s not a direct replacement of Notepad as a standalone program, but it achieves the desired result of using Microsoft Edit for .txt files.

via Github