How To Change the Default View Source Editor for Internet Explorer

Contributed by Troy Newton  
Tagged: Internet Explorer IE7  

If you hate using Notepad as the source editor for IE, you can change the default View Source Editor for Internet Explorer by following one of these methods.

You have three choices:

(A) Download software

View Source Editor
http://www.iconico.com/viewSourceEditor/

“Are you frustrated at Internet Explorer’s insistence on using Notepad when you click View Source? This little application let’s you use any text editor instead of Notepad. All you need to do it choose the program and you’re set.”

(B) Manual Registry Edit

Change default View Source editor in IE
http://dotnet.org.za/thea/archive/2004/11/25/7933.aspx

(C) Create a Registry File

1. Copy below and paste into Notepad.

———-copy inside only———-
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\View Source Editor]

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\View Source Editor\Editor Name]
@=”\”C:\\Program Files\\Notepad++\\notepad++.exe\”"

———-copy inside only———-

2. Modify the line @= to suite your choice.
   (Match the syntax or it won’t work!)

3. Save-as IE_View_Source_Editor.reg (or any name + .reg)

4. Double-click or right-click and merge into the Registry.