How to automatically reload a single modified window in Notepad++

I found this question and the accepted answer, which shows the setting for Notepad++ to update changed files without have to click the confirmation button.

However in my case there is a single file window that I want to skip the reload file confirmation dialog. The file is a log file that gets overwritten each time my program runs. I do not want other windows to auto-reload because it could lead to inadvertent data loss.

Is there a way to designate auto-reload behavior for one window, but still have the default behavior for other windows?


Solution 1:

Unless your file is very large, it is possible.

Check menu item View > Monitoring (tail -f)

  • This setting is per file, so it will work for your individual file.
  • The file is not editable when the setting is enabled.
  • If you have enabled word wrapping and the file is not always scrolled to end as expected, update Notepad++ to version 7.9 where this issue is fixed.

This is a workaround if the above won't satisfy you:

Copy your Notepad++ into another directory, configure global reload settings differently and keep your special file open in that second instance of Notepad++.

  • You can even set a different color style for that instance so you can instantly recognize it.
  • This is a good choice to keep the file editable for certain use cases.

Solution 2:

Click the eyeball on later versions. Currently on 7.5.6 but not sure how far back the eyeball goes.

Picture of the Eyeball icon