I'm using an HP laptop running the latest version of Windows 11 Home. I've noticed that when I right-click on some files, I can see the 'Open with' option, but it doesn't appear for certain file types, like .bat and .exe files. I can run .bat files perfectly with a left click, and the same goes for .exe files. However, I'm looking for a way to right-click a .bat file and choose to open it with a text editor, such as TextPad or Notepad++, instead of just the default Notepad. This functionality used to be available when I was on Windows 10, and I would appreciate any insights or solutions to bring this option back.
3 Answers
For more advanced options, you might want to check out the registry settings for file types. You can customize what shows up on right-click for specific extensions. Just remember to back up the registry first before making changes, in case something goes wrong!
You might want to try right-clicking and selecting "Edit" instead of just "Open." That way, you can open the .bat file in Notepad. Just a heads up, that won't give you full control over which editor to use, though.
I've found that on Windows 11, if you right-click a BAT file and look at the bottom, there’s a "Show more options" button. Clicking that will give you more choices, including editing it in Notepad, but I'm not sure if it helps with other editors.

Thanks for the tip! But I sometimes need to use TextPad or Notepad++ too. Is there a way to set those as my default, or at least get an option for them?