How to Stop Notepad Opening Previous Files at Startup

How to Disable Auto-open Previous Files in Notepad | How to stop Notepad from automatically opening previous files at startup.
Step 1. Open Notepad on your Windows computer.
By default, Notepad will open and display any previously open Notepad files that you didn't close from your last session.
Step 2. Click the "Settings" icon at the top of the screen. The Settings screen is displayed.
Step 3. Click to expand "When Notepad Starts" into a menu.
Step 4. Click to select the radio button next to "Open a New Window."
Going forward Notepad will open a blank file when it's initially launched, and it will no longer open files that were open at the end of your previous session.

[@XavierAway]

not working, still opens old files even though the setting stays on

[@FritzFritzarini]

Thank you. I don't know why it all of a sudden started happening, but man was that ever annoying!

[@skipl.7355]

Thank you. This was driving me nuts along with all the new "features" Microsoft comes up with with every new iteration of Windows. What will the next feature be??... Probably a scrollong ad ticker at the bottom of every Notepad page, and something that cannot be removed or disabled. Thanks for giving me continuous headaches, Microsoft..

[@paulkodrowski3066]

Thank you! Why did they ever default to that setting? Annoying as hell!

[@Skart2007]

I did it and it still opens the files, please help

[@jsun223]

Did you solve it? I got the same issue.

[@Skart2007]

@@jsun223 Nope, haven't solved it

[@riotsquirrl]

Does the option show as checked when you open settings or is it not saving the setting?

[@Skart2007]

@@riotsquirrl It's saving the settings

[@WalterWeakley]

not working, still opens even blank

[@AnthonyDunk]

For me, the issue was that I had a text file in my Windows start-up folder which Windows was automatically opening in Notepad every time I restarted my computer. To check this folder press Windows+R and type shell:startup

[@blendingdude3429]

The feature nobody asked for

[@kv70]

Thank you! It was really an annoying feauture

[@sabrinac4356]

That did it!

[@Mikkeru]

What an horrible feature. Its so bad, at least you can turn it off

[@matthieumichard]

This is so fucking aggravating. I have like 5 different versions of the same file and I have NO idea which one is which.
That's fine for a 20 lines files but 1500 thats another matter