>_ NotepadDecoder

Recover and decode unsaved Windows Notepad binary files into readable notes.

For a comprehensive step-by-step guide including manual analysis with strings and hexdump, visit:
Complete Guide: Decoding Notepad Binary Files

NotepadDecoder extracts UTF-16LE encoded text from Windows Notepad's TabState binary files. These files contain unsaved Notepad content that would otherwise be lost. Perfect for dual-boot setups, forensics, or data recovery scenarios.

• 🔍 Automatic Detection: Scans for UTF-16LE text runs in .bin files
• 📁 Batch Processing: Process single files or entire directories
• 🎨 Interactive Mode: User-friendly CLI with file previews
• 💾 Smart Output: Saves decoded content as readable markdown files
• 🖥️ Cross-Platform: Works on Linux, Windows, and macOS

• Python 3.10+ (Download Python)
• For colors: pip install colorama

git clone https://github.com/anonfaded/NotepadDecoder.git
cd NotepadDecoder

Single File:

python3 notepad_decoder.py /path/to/TabState/file.bin
# or python notepad_decoder.py on Windows

Directory (Batch Processing):

python3 notepad_decoder.py /path/to/TabState/
# or python notepad_decoder.py on Windows

Interactive Mode:

python3 notepad_decoder.py
# or python notepad_decoder.py on Windows

Help:

python3 notepad_decoder.py --help
# or python notepad_decoder.py --help on Windows

When run on a single .bin file, this is the output:

Extracted Content:
----------------------------------------
added zoom feature
added immediate delete option
some notes here
fixed issue with the wide lens and 60fps not working

The TabState files are located at:

C:\Users\USERNAME\AppData\Local\Packages\Microsoft.WindowsNotepad_8wekyb3d8bbwe\LocalState\TabState\

For dual-boot Linux users, use ls -la /media/<USER>/ to find the mounted drives and navigate to where the TabState files are stored:

/media/USERNAME/DRIVE/Users/USERNAME/AppData/Local/Packages/Microsoft.WindowsNotepad_8wekyb3d8bbwe/LocalState/TabState/

1. UTF-16LE Detection: Scans binary files for UTF-16LE encoded ASCII sequences
2. Fallback Decoding: Attempts whole-file UTF-16LE decoding at multiple offsets
3. Content Extraction: Extracts readable text and saves as markdown files
4. Smart Naming: Creates meaningful filenames from content

MIT License - see LICENSE file for details.