How to Make Notepad the Default Text Editor for Firefox

If Firefox doesn't display your favorite text editor, tweak the settings.

If you ever want to peek behind the curtains and discover what makes Web pages tick, press "Ctrl-U" in Firefox. Firefox and other browsers allow anyone to view the HTML source code for any site on the Internet. By default, Firefox displays this text using its internal text editor when you press "Ctrl-U." This editor is similar to Notepad. If you would rather use the real version of Notepad instead, you can change the default by updating a Firefox setting.

Instructions

1. Launch Firefox.

2. Type "about:config" (without the quotes) in the location bar where you normally type URLs and press "Enter." Firefox will display a warning window.

3. Click "I'll be careful, I promise" to continue. The Firefox configuration window appears.

4. Type the name "view_source.editor.external" (without the quotes) in the "Filter" text box near the top of the window. Firefox displays that name in the search results panel. A "Value" column appears next to that name and displays a value of "true" or "false." Double-click that value if it is "false" to change it to "true."

5. Type "view_source.editor.path" (without the quotes) in the "Filter" text box. Firefox will display that item in the search results panel.

6. Double-click that entry to open a pop-up dialog window. Type the following in the window's text box:

   C:\Windows\system32\notepad.exe

   If you installed Windows on a drive other than "C," replace "C" with that drive letter. For instance, if your "D" drive has your Windows installation, type the following in the text box instead:

   D:\Windows\system32\notepad.exe

7. Click "OK," and navigate to any website. Press "Ctrl-U." Notepad opens and displays that site's source code.

Tips & Warnings

• To restore Firefox's internal text editor as the default, return to the configuration window and type " "view_source.editor.external" in the "Filter" text box. Double-click that item when it appears and change its value back to "false."

References

• Louisiana State University GROK Knowledge Base: Mozilla Firefox: Miscellaneous Tips and Tricks

Resources

• Mozilla Support: Getting started with Firefox | How to | Firefox Help