• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Technipages

Tutorials and fixes for smartphone, gadget, and computer problems

  • Topics
    • Android
    • Browsers
    • Gaming
    • Hardware
    • Internet
    • iPhone
    • Linux
    • macOS
    • Office
    • Reviews
    • Software
    • Windows
    • Definitions
  • Product Reviews
  • Downloads
  • About
Notepad++ Cannot Open Large Files

Notepad++ Cannot Open Large Files

September 30, 2020 by Madalina Dinita 2 Comments

Notepad++ is a very versatile text editor that you can use to open various types of files.

However, there are certain limitations as to the maximum file size the program can handle. If the file you’re trying to open is too large and has over 2GB in size, Notepad++ won’t open it.

What is The Max FileSize Notepad ++ Can Open?

Notepad++ cannot open files that are larger than 2GB. The tool will simply display an error message informing you the file is too large to be opened.

This limitation is due to Scintilla – the main engine behind Notepad++. In order to provide rich text viewing, alongside code folding, syntax highlighting, and more, Notepad++ requires four times more memory than the file size.

For example, if you want to open a 300MB file, the program will use around 1,200MB of memory.

When your operating system receives the memory allocation request from Notepad++, it may deny it in order to preserve system resources.

Opening a 2GB file in Notepad++ requires 8GB of memory. Only systems that come equipped with 16GB of RAM and more can properly run that task but the OS may often deny it, as explained above.

So, How Do I Open Large Files?

Use a special program

If you need to open large files, you need to use a different program. Ideally, you should use a tool that does not read the whole file into memory. Hex or disk editors are excellent choices as they only use a small frame of the file.

Here are some Notepad++ alternatives for opening large files:

  • Glogg is an excellent log file explorer that you can use to open files up to 16GB.
  • TextPad is an interesting general purpose text editor for Windows.
  • Visual Studio Code is a multi-platform open-source editor that’s perfect for app developers.
  • UltraEdit is a great text editor for many programming language.
  • Sublime Text is the go-to program for code, and markup.

Speaking of Sublime Text, we got a series of handy guides for you:

  • How to Enable Syntax Highlighting in Sublime Text 3
  • Find and Replace in Sublime Text 3
  • How to View Multiple Documents at Once in Sublime Text 3

Split the file into smaller chunks

Alternatively, you can split the respective file into smaller, more manageable chunks (under 2GB). Open only one of them in Notepad++. Don’t open all of them at the same time.

Keep in mind this may affect your computer performance. You may experience lag issues and your device may need a few extra seconds to run the tasks you required.

If you decide to use this method, it’s a good idea to disable all the plugins that analyze and scan the text. This is because they usually slow down Notepad++.

  1. Click on the Plugins Menu → select Plugins Admin
  2. Click on the Installed tab and remove the respective plugins.

disable notepad++ plugins

Syntax highlighting is another frequent source of slow Notepad++ performance.

Go to Language → N → Normal Text and disable syntax highlighting, especially if you’re opening a large file.

notepad++ normal text

Disabling clickable links is another useful action that you can take to prevent or reduce slow document loading issues.

What method did you use to open large files? Let us know in the comments below.

You Might Also Like

  • Fix Notepad++ Doesn't Show Up in Open With
    Fix Notepad++ Doesn't Show Up in Open With
  • Fix: Microsoft Teams Cannot Open Files in Desktop App
    Fix: Microsoft Teams Cannot Open Files in Desktop App
  • How to Compress Large Images Easily
    How to Compress Large Images Easily
  • How To Use WhatsApp For Large Numbers of Participants
    How To Use WhatsApp For Large Numbers of Participants
  • Android Screen Appears Large and Zoomed
    Android Screen Appears Large and Zoomed
  • Using Facebook Messenger With Large Groups of People
    Using Facebook Messenger With Large Groups of People

Filed Under: Software Tagged With: Notepad++

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Joe User says

    May 5, 2021 at 10:33 am

    What’s really annoying about this is when you’re doing a search on a huge directory that you know will take a long time so go off and do something else only to come back later to find it’s been paused for a long time because of this. I call this affliction Microsoftitis.

  2. martin says

    February 13, 2021 at 6:53 am

    Notepad++ can open big files via plugin:
    https://github.com/superolmo/BigFiles

Did this help? Let us know!

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Recent Posts

  • 15 Best iOS 16 Beta 3 Features You Should Try Now
  • Android: How to Record and Add Custom Alarm Audio
  • What is a Hackathon?
  • How to Enable Samsung Adapt Sound for the Best Audio
  • What is Social Engineering?
  • Google Voice Typing Not Working: Fix
  • How to Combine Two Columns in Excel: 5 Best Methods
  • Google Docs: How to Type Faster With Speech-to-Text

Who’s Behind Technipages?

Baby and Daddy My name is Mitch Bartlett. I've been working in technology for over 20 years in a wide range of tech jobs from Tech Support to Software Testing. I started this site as a technical guide for myself and it has grown into what I hope is a useful reference for all.

You May Also Like

  • Open Standard
  • Open Source Software (OSS)

© Copyright 2023 Guiding Tech Media · All Rights Reserved · Privacy