What to do right now
- Start Notepad++ once and wait; with session snapshot on, unsaved tabs normally reopen by themselves.
- If they do not, copy the backup folder, usually %APPDATA%\Notepad++\backup, to a safe place before Notepad++ runs again.
- Open the copied files in any text editor; they are plain text named like new 1@2026-10-17_101010.
- If the backup files were deleted, a deleted file scan of drive C: may still find them, but only for a short time.
Step by step
Reopen Notepad++ once
Start Notepad++ and check the tab bar. If your new 1 tab or modified file is back, save it right away with File, Save As. Do not close tabs with No in the save prompt, because that deletes their backup.
Check the backup setting
Open Settings, Preferences, Backup. If Enable session snapshot and periodic backup is ticked, backups should exist. If it was off, unsaved text existed only in memory and there will usually be nothing in the backup folder.
Copy the backup folder
Close Notepad++. Paste %APPDATA%\Notepad++\backup into the File Explorer address bar. Copy the whole folder to another location before doing anything else, so a later Notepad++ session cannot overwrite or clean it.
Look in the portable folder if needed
If you run a portable Notepad++ from a ZIP or USB stick, the backup folder is usually inside the Notepad++ program folder instead of AppData. Check the folder that contains notepad++.exe.
Let the finder collect the backups
In FileFix Ultimate, open Find files lost when a program crashed or closed without saving and click Find unsaved files. Filter Program by Notepad++. Each backup is offered with a clean name, so new 1@2026-10-17_101010 becomes new 1.txt, and Copy selected saves it to a folder you choose.
Scan for deleted backups
If the folder is empty but backups existed, open Deleted file recovery, scan drive C: and search for new 1 or for the backup folder path. Save results to another drive and open them as text.
How Notepad++ session snapshot works
With session snapshot on, Notepad++ does not ask you to save when you close the program. Instead it records the open tabs in session.xml in its settings folder and writes each unsaved or modified tab to the backup folder, then restores everything at the next start. The backup interval is set in Preferences and is a few seconds by default, so the copy is usually very close to what you last typed.
Backup files are named after the tab plus a time stamp, for example new 3@2026-10-17_143522 or report.txt@2026-10-17_143522. They contain plain text in the tab's encoding. If several copies of one tab exist, the most recent time stamp is normally the one you want.
What removes the backups
Closing a single tab and answering No to the save prompt removes that tab's backup on purpose. Turning off session snapshot, starting Notepad++ with a different settings folder, cleaning AppData with a cleanup tool, or deleting the Notepad++ folder during a reinstall can also remove them. A crash, a forced Windows update or a power cut usually does not, which is why those cases have good chances.
Starting Notepad++ several times in a row while the tabs are missing is risky. If it starts a fresh session, it may tidy the backup folder. Copy the folder first, then experiment.
Backups of saved files are a different feature
Session snapshot protects unsaved changes. If you saved over a file and want the older version, look at Backup on save in the same Preferences page. When it was set to Simple or Verbose, Notepad++ usually kept a .bak copy next to the file or in a subfolder named nppBackup. If it was off, try Previous Versions or a deleted file scan for older copies instead.
When it won't work
- Session snapshot and periodic backup was off, so unsaved text existed only in memory.
- The tab was closed with No in the save prompt and its deleted backup file has been overwritten or trimmed on an SSD.
- The Notepad++ settings folder was deleted or cleaned, and the space has been reused.
- You use a portable Notepad++ on a drive that has since been formatted or lost.
How FileFix Ultimate helps
- Finds Notepad++ backups in %APPDATA%\Notepad++\backup read-only, together with Notepad, VS Code and Office recovery files.
- Turns time-stamped backup names into readable file names with a .txt extension where none existed.
- Copies selected backups to a folder you choose so a later Notepad++ session cannot remove them.
- If the backups were deleted, Deleted file recovery can search drive C: for them and save results to another disk.
- Free for personal use, offline and without limits on how much you recover.
FileFix Ultimate is free for personal use, works offline and never writes to the drive you are recovering from. Business use needs a one-year licence per PC. Check the signature before you run it.
Frequently asked questions
Where does Notepad++ keep unsaved new tabs?
For the installed version, usually in %APPDATA%\Notepad++\backup. A portable copy keeps them in a backup folder next to notepad++.exe. The exact location can differ if the settings folder was moved.
I closed Notepad++ and my new 1 tab is gone. Is it lost?
Not necessarily. With session snapshot on, closing the program keeps the tab and its backup. Check the backup folder before starting Notepad++ again and copy any files you find.
How often does Notepad++ back up unsaved tabs?
The interval is set under Preferences, Backup, and is a few seconds by default. Text typed in the last seconds before a crash may be missing from the backup.
Can I open the backup files directly?
Yes, they are plain text. Still, copy them out first and open the copy, so Notepad++ does not replace or remove the original while you work.