notepad-plus-plus / notepad-plus-plus/notepad-plus-plus
[Feature request] Restore tab order on startup
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- Dominant language
- C++
- Stars
- 29.4k
- Forks
- 5.4k
- PR merge metrics
- No merged PRs in 30d
Description
Is there an existing issue for this?
- I have searched the existing issues
Description of the Issue
I usually have a lot of tabs opened, but work with a small subset of them on a given task, switching between the last 2 or 3 visited tabs (using CTRL-TAB).
If I close Notepadd++ and reopen it, it reopens the last tab, but the order of the other tabs is lost. If I navigate using CTRL-TAB, it opens the first tab of the document list instead of what was my "previous" tab.
Since I have a lot of tabs, finding the other tabs I worked with last is tiresome.
Describe the solution you'd like.
The tab order when cycling through tabs (using CTRL-TAB and SHIFT-CTRL-TAB) should be saved and restored when exiting and starting Notepad++.
Debug Information
Notepad++ v8.8.1 (64-bit)
Build time : May 3 2025 - 18:41:09
Scintilla/Lexilla included : 5.5.6/5.4.4
Boost Regex included : 1_85
Path : C:\Program Files\Notepad++\notepad++.exe
Command Line :
Admin mode : OFF
Local Conf mode : OFF
Cloud Config : OFF
Periodic Backup : ON
Placeholders : OFF
Scintilla Rendering Mode : SC_TECHNOLOGY_DEFAULT (0)
Multi-instance Mode : monoInst
File Status Auto-Detection : cdEnabledNew (for current file/tab only)
Dark Mode : OFF
OS Name : Windows 10 Pro (64-bit)
OS Version : 22H2
OS Build : 19045.5854
Current ANSI codepage : 1252
Plugins :
mimeTools (3.1)
NppConverter (4.6)
NppExport (0.4)
XMLTools (3.1.1.13)
Anything else?
No response
Contributor guide
First steps
- Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
- Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
- Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
- Open a pull request that references the issue number.
Research direction
Start by tracing how Notepad++ restores open tabs on startup and how CTRL-TAB and SHIFT-CTRL-TAB determine cycling order. No files or tests are named in the issue, so locate the session-restoration and tab-navigation entry points first. Done means the cycling order is preserved across exit and restart in both directions.
Written by the indexing model from the issue text.
Assessment
- Tech stack
- cpp
- Domain
- desktop
- Issue type
- Feature
- Difficulty
- 4/5
- Estimated time
- 3-5 days
- Activity status
- Stale
- Clarity
- Mostly clear
- Newbie friendliness
- 38/100