To prevent Notepad from automatically adding .txt extensions, wrap the file name in quotes when saving and select All Files in the Save Type drop-down menu. The specific steps are as follows: 1. Enter a quoted name in the file name field of the "Save As" dialog box, such as "config"; 2. Select "All Files" from the "Save Type" drop-down menu to disable the behavior of automatically adding extensions; 3. Note that Windows may hide known extensions. You can check "File Name Extensions" in the "View" tab of File Explorer to confirm that the saving is correct. Follow these steps to ensure that Notepad saves files in the specified format without automatically adding the default .txt extension.

If you're trying to save a file without the .txt extension in Notepad, you might have noticed it adds .txt automatically. The trick is in how you specify the filename — more on that below.

Use Quotes Around the Filename

When saving a file in Notepad and you want to avoid the .txt extension, wrap your desired filename in double quotes. For example, if you want to save a file as config , just type "config" (including the quotes) in the "File name" field in the Save As dialog.

This tells Notepad not to append the default .txt extension. Without the quotes, Notepad assumes you want a text file even if you didn't specify an extension.

• If you want a different extension like .log , use "example.log"
• If you want no extension at all, use "filename" with quotes

It's a small detail, but skipping the quotes means Notepad will add .txt whether you want it or not.

Choose “All Files” in File Type Dropdown

Another key step is selecting All Files from the "Save as type" dropdown in the Save As window. By default, Notepad shows * Text Documents ( .txt)**, which is why .txt gets added automatically.

Changing the file type to All Files disables the automatic extension behavior. This setting doesn't remove the need for quotes — you still need to use them — but it helps ensure Notepad treatments your input literally.

So:

• Open Notepad
• Click File > Save As
• In the dialog, choose All Files from the dropdown
• Then type the filename with quotes

That way, you're giving Notepad no room to guess what kind of file you want.

Be Aware of Hidden Extensions

Sometimes even after saving correctly, it might look like the file still has .txt . That's often because Windows hides known file extensions by default. So if you saved it as "example.json" , it may visually appear as just example , making it confusing.

To check:

• Open File Explorer
• Go to View tab
• Check the box for File name extensions

Once enabled, you'll see the full filename including the correct extension, so you can confirm Notepad did what you intended.

Those are the main points. It's not complicated, but it's easy to miss one of the steps — especially the quotes or the file type selection.

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