Windows - Software - Install Notepad++

What the Notepad++ deployment Worklet does

This Automox Worklet™ deploys Notepad++ to Windows endpoints by silently running the official NSIS installer. The Worklet works across Windows 10, Windows 11, Server 2016, Server 2019, and Server 2022, and chooses the 32-bit or 64-bit package based on the endpoint's OS architecture. Notepad++ is the free, GPL-licensed source code editor that IT operations teams, developers, and helpdesk staff use to read logs, edit configuration files, and inspect scripts on Windows hosts.

The evaluation phase walks the Windows uninstall keys under HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall and the WoW6432Node path at HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall, looking for a DisplayName that contains Notepad++. Endpoints already running Notepad++ are marked compliant and skipped. Endpoints without it are flagged for remediation, which downloads npp_installer.exe from the Automox API cache, runs it with /S for an unattended install, and deletes the installer file after Start-Process returns.

After remediation, Notepad++ installs to C:\Program Files\Notepad++ and writes its own uninstall key at HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Notepad++. Subsequent evaluation runs find a matching DisplayName and exit without re-installing.

Why deploy Notepad++ as a fleet baseline

Most Windows endpoints ship with the built-in Notepad, which lacks the syntax highlighting, encoding controls, large-file support, and multi-document tabbing that IT staff rely on. Without a managed deployment, engineers sideload Notepad++ from notepad-plus-plus.org one laptop at a time. Builds drift, and the security team has no clear inventory of which endpoints run a supported version. Standardizing on a single Worklet-driven install puts the same Notepad++ build on every endpoint in scope and makes the uninstall key at HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Notepad++ the source of truth for software inventory queries.

Apply this Worklet to the Windows engineering workstation group on the same schedule as your software-baseline policies; the Notepad++ installer runs on the next policy pass against the HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Notepad++ uninstall key. Re-evaluations catch endpoints that rolled back, were re-imaged, or never received the initial run.

How Notepad++ silent deployment works

1. Evaluation phase: On 64-bit endpoints the Worklet opens the native 64-bit registry view with [Microsoft.Win32.RegistryKey]::OpenBaseKey and enumerates HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall, then falls back to HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall with Get-ChildItem and Get-ItemProperty. On 32-bit endpoints it scans HKLM:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall directly. A DisplayName matching "*Notepad++*" exits 0 and marks the endpoint compliant. No match exits 1 so Automox schedules the remediation script.

2. Remediation phase: The script reads [System.Environment]::Is64BitOperatingSystem and picks the arch=64 or arch=32 download URL from api.automox.com/api/cache. It saves the file as npp_installer.exe in the script directory using System.Net.WebClient, invokes Start-Process with -ArgumentList "/S" -Wait for the unattended NSIS install, removes the downloaded installer, and exits 0. The installer writes the application to C:\Program Files\Notepad++ and adds the uninstall key at HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Notepad++. Any exception during download or install is caught and exits 1.

Notepad++ deployment requirements

• Windows 10, Windows 11, Server 2016, Server 2019, or Server 2022 endpoint running the Automox agent

• Outbound HTTPS reachability from the endpoint to api.automox.com so the cached NSIS installer can be pulled

• Local administrator privileges for the Automox agent context, which is the default install state

• PowerShell 5.1 or later for Get-ChildItem, Get-ItemProperty, Start-Process, and Remove-Item, all of which ship with the supported Windows versions

• Approximately 12 MB of free disk space on the system drive for the installer download plus 35 MB for the installed Notepad++ application

• No policy variables to configure; the Worklet picks the architecture, fetches the installer, and runs silently by default

Expected state after Notepad++ deployment

On a successful run, Notepad++ appears in Settings, Apps, Installed apps as a registered application, and the uninstall key HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Notepad++ is populated with the installed DisplayVersion. The notepad++.exe binary lands at C:\Program Files\Notepad++\notepad++.exe, a Start menu entry is created under Programs, Notepad++, and the file association handlers for .nfo, .ini, and other text formats become available to users who opt in. The downloaded npp_installer.exe is removed from the agent working directory so the disk footprint matches a clean interactive install.

Validate the result by opening an elevated PowerShell prompt on a representative endpoint and running Get-ItemProperty HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Notepad++ to confirm DisplayVersion, or Test-Path 'C:\Program Files\Notepad++\notepad++.exe' for a fast binary check. Re-run the Worklet to confirm the evaluation phase exits 0 and no remediation is triggered. Capture the Automox activity log entry alongside the registry output as audit evidence that the deployment policy reached every endpoint in scope, and revisit the policy after each major Notepad++ release to refresh the cached installer.