How to Open Files in New Tab or Window with Notepad in Windows 11

This article explains the steps one can take to customize whether files open in new tabs or a new window in Windows 11.

Windows computers that are enrolled in the Microsoft Insider Preview program should begin to see a new version of Notepad which supports tabs.

With the new tab function, you can create, manage, and organize multiple files in a single Notepad window. You should also be able to work with files across multiple windows by dragging a tab out into its window.

Below is how to customize whether files open in new tabs or a new window by default.

Choose how to open new files in Notepad by default

As described above, the new Notepad comes with a tabs function that lets you create, manage, and organize multiple files in a single Notepad window.

You can customize whether files open in new tabs or a new window by default; the steps below show you how to do that.

First, open the Notepad app.

Then click on the Settings (gear) button.

windows notepad settings button

When the Settings page opens, choose an option for the Opening files tile: 

  • Open in a new tab (default)
  • Open in a new window
windows notepad settings open new file options
windows notepad settings open new file options

Exit the Settings page and you are done.

That should do it!

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Conclusion:

This post showed you how to customize whether files open in new tabs or a window by default. If you find any error above or have something to add, please use the comment form below.