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Today's update of Windows 10 erased Notepad++ [v7.9.1] folder %AppData%\Notepad++\backup and am aware that backup files can be a solution, but is there any way to get my unsaved tabs back?

  • I've read that right-clicking on the %AppData% folder and selecting Restore Previous Versions from the context menu should restore data, however it shows that there are no previous versions
  • A System Restore point was created a few days before, which is not an option for me to restore to that point, as I don't want a System Restore, I want my files back

I also tried EaseUS, but it doesn't really help; perhaps Notepad++ has some internal feature, that backs up data somewhere else as well?

JW0914
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Giorgi Tsiklauri
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  • Assuming you mean here: C:\Users\jme\AppData\Local or Roamng, that is a legitimate location. Lots of apps use this location for config files. (a) was Notepad++ using a Temp folder in here? (b) was Notepad++ up to date? – John Feb 13 '21 at 12:14
  • Yes, Roaming.. and version is quite recent.. see the updated answer. I have been using this pattern (to keep some text from restart to restart in the Notepad++) and it has always been restarting with the text not saved last time.. but after this Windows Update corresponding directory in %AppData% got wiped out. – Giorgi Tsiklauri Feb 13 '21 at 12:25
  • I would ask Notepad++ Support about this. I have not had any folders in Appdata wiped out (Windows 10 running for 6 years now). – John Feb 13 '21 at 12:31
  • @John I hadn't have, until today, as well.. – Giorgi Tsiklauri Feb 13 '21 at 12:46
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    It's not recommended to save backups to `%AppData%` or `%LocalAppData%` as they can be removed during a bi-annual version update (v2003, v20H2, etc.) due to how Windows is installed _(bi-annual updates are essentially a repair install for all intents and purposes)_. You can modify the backup location in Notepad++'s settings to be `%UserProfile%\Documents` or another location. System Restore checkpoints exclude `%UserProfile%` by default else user profile corruption could occur; you could add the directory to Folder History backup, which would then be listed under _Restore Previous Versions_ – JW0914 Feb 13 '21 at 13:31
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    _Cont'd..._ You could try and recover the directory using [`TestDisk`](https://www.cgsecurity.org/wiki/TestDisk) or [`PhotoRec`](https://www.cgsecurity.org/wiki/PhotoRec), provided the MFT space where they were stored has not been re-written yet. _(While not applicable to your question, you may want to consider [VS Code](https://code.visualstudio.com/) since it's more feature-rich than Notepad++ and has cross-platform support - to maintain the exact same settings and extensions across platforms, simply copy the `.vscode` directory to any platform.)_ – JW0914 Feb 13 '21 at 13:37

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