How to Enable Word Wrap

Beginner40-60 minutesWindowsNotepad++

Word wrap is a display behavior that controls whether lines in a text file continue beyond the visible width of the editor window, requiring horizontal scrolling to read, or whether they fold at the window boundary so that all content remains visible without scrolling. In most text-editor documentation, word wrap is described as a convenience toggle. In the context of Unturned™ .dat file editing, it is a readability configuration decision with a measurable operational-risk profile. This reference documents the mechanics of the word-wrap setting in Notepad++, the circumstances under which enabling or disabling it is the correct choice for a given file type, and the known risks that each mode introduces to the editing session.

57 Studios™ maintains this reference as part of the canonical configuration sequence for contributors to Unturned™ mod development. The word-wrap configuration documented here is applied selectively by file type across the 57 Studios™ contributor cohort, and the rationale for each file-type decision is documented in the tables throughout this reference. Community contributors working against 57 Studios™ project templates are encouraged to adopt the same configuration so that editing sessions produce files with the structural characteristics the templates expect.

This reference does not treat word wrap as a static preference. It treats word wrap as a per-session, per-file-type decision that a modder makes deliberately before opening a file for substantive editing. The decision affects not only the comfort of reading but also the likelihood of introducing invisible structural errors. Both dimensions are documented here.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, confirm the following:

• Notepad++ is installed and launches without errors. Refer to How to Install Notepad++ if the installation has not been completed.
• The font face and size are configured according to How to Change the Font in Notepad++. Word-wrap behavior interacts with font size: a larger font causes wrap points to occur at fewer characters per line, which affects the number of wrapped continuations visible in the viewport at any moment.
• A representative .dat file from the current project is available to open for post-configuration verification.

Did you know?

Word wrap in Notepad++ is a display-only transformation. It does not insert line-break characters into the file. The file on disk is always written with its original line structure, regardless of how the content wraps in the viewport. Enabling word wrap does not change the file; it changes how the file looks while it is open.

What you'll learn

By the end of this reference, you will know how to:

• Toggle word wrap on and off through the View menu and through the keyboard shortcut.
• Identify the file types for which word wrap should be enabled in the 57 Studios™ workflow.
• Identify the file types for which word wrap should be disabled.
• Understand the specific risk profile introduced by word wrap in the context of trailing-whitespace errors.
• Understand the specific risk profile introduced by disabling word wrap in the context of long-value fields.
• Apply the recommended cohort toggle cadence to a session that involves multiple file types.
• Verify the current word-wrap state from the editor interface.
• Configure Notepad++ to open specific file types with word wrap pre-set to the correct mode.

Background

The Unturned engine reads .dat configuration files as a sequence of key-value lines. Each line in a .dat file consists of a key token, whitespace, and a value token. The engine parses each line independently and has no continuation syntax: a value that appears to span two visual lines in a word-wrapped editor is a single logical line in the file. The engine reads the full logical line, not the visual line.

This parsing behavior means that word wrap introduces a visual representation that has no correspondence in the file structure the engine will process. A modder reading a wrapped line may reason about the content as if it occupies two lines and may make editing decisions appropriate for two-line content that are incorrect for single-line content. The risk is not theoretical: the most common operational error attributed to word-wrap mode in the 57 Studios™ contributor cohort is a trailing-whitespace insertion on a line whose end is not visible because the visual fold obscures it.

The image above shows a single .dat line containing a long file-path value in both wrapped and unwrapped modes. In wrapped mode, the visual boundary falls in the middle of the value, and the end of the line — where trailing whitespace would appear — is on the second visual line. A modder who edits the value and then presses End to go to the end of the line while in wrapped mode will land at the end of the first visual line rather than the end of the logical line. The distinction is invisible unless the modder is aware of the behavior.

At the same time, disabling word wrap entirely for files with long values introduces a different risk: the modder must scroll horizontally to read the full value of a long line, and horizontal scrolling is cognitively more disruptive than vertical scrolling for most readers. A modder who reads only the visible portion of a long line without scrolling may miss important value content that extends beyond the viewport. This is especially relevant for JSON configuration files where long string values carry operational data that must be read in full.

The correct word-wrap configuration is therefore file-type-specific, not session-global. This reference documents the recommended configuration for each file type in the 57 Studios™ workflow.

Step 1: Locate the word-wrap toggle

In Notepad++, word wrap is toggled through the View menu. Open the View menu and locate the Word wrap item near the top of the menu. The item displays a checkmark when word wrap is enabled and no checkmark when it is disabled.

The keyboard shortcut for toggling word wrap is Alt + Z. Pressing Alt + Z while the editor viewport is active toggles word wrap between enabled and disabled states. The toggle is immediate and does not require confirming a dialog.

Pro tip

The word-wrap state is visible in the View menu at any time without toggling it. Opening the View menu and looking for the checkmark next to Word wrap is the fastest way to confirm the current state before beginning an editing session on a file type where the state matters.

The status bar at the bottom of the Notepad++ window does not display the word-wrap state directly. The only visible indicator in the main window is the View menu checkmark and the presence or absence of line-continuation markers in the editor gutter (if the line-number margin is wide enough to show them). The most reliable state verification method is the View menu check.

Step 2: Determine the correct state for the current file type

Before toggling word wrap, identify the file type that will be edited in the current session and consult the table below to determine the recommended word-wrap state.

File type	Word wrap	Rationale
Unturned .dat — standard item definition	OFF	Lines are short; horizontal scrolling is not needed; wrap would obscure logical line structure
Unturned .dat — asset with long path values	ON (with caution; see risk section)	Long paths extend beyond typical viewport width; horizontal scrolling creates reading gaps
JSON mod manifest	ON	JSON string values are often long; wrapping keeps all content visible without scrolling
JSON with column-aligned key padding	OFF	Alignment is meaningful; wrap destroys visual column structure
Server log file (single-line entries)	ON	Log lines are long and benefit from wrap for reading; no editing occurs in log review
Lua plugin script	OFF	Code files use indentation and column alignment; wrap disrupts both
Column-aligned reference table (TSV, custom format)	OFF	Column alignment is the primary navigation structure; wrap destroys it
Markdown documentation	ON	Prose sentences benefit from wrap; heading lines are short enough that wrap is neutral

Common mistake

Leaving word wrap in the same state for every file in a session. A single editing session may involve multiple file types — opening a .dat file, then a JSON manifest, then a log for reference. The recommended practice is to check and set the word-wrap state each time a file type changes within the session.

Best practice

The 57 Studios™ cohort-recommended toggle cadence is to assess word-wrap state at the start of each file-open event, not once per session. A session that opens five files of three different types should include three word-wrap state assessments — one for each file type — not one assessment at session start.

Step 3: Enable word wrap

If word wrap should be enabled for the current file type:

1. Open the View menu.
2. Click Word wrap.
3. Confirm the checkmark appears next to the item.

The editor viewport immediately reflows the content of all open tabs according to the current window width. Wrapped lines display a continuation indicator in the line-number gutter: a wrapped second visual line does not display a new line number; the number field is blank or displays a continuation symbol depending on the Notepad++ version.

Did you know?

Notepad++ wraps at the character boundary, not at a word boundary, by default. The distinction matters for long values like GUIDs and file paths, which have no spaces. A 32-character GUID wraps at the column boundary, which may fall in the middle of the hex string. This is a visual artifact only and does not affect the file content, but it can be momentarily disorienting if the modder expects wrapping to occur at a word boundary as it does in word processors.

After enabling word wrap, open a representative file and verify the following:

Verification check	Expected outcome
Long lines are visible without horizontal scrolling	All content fits within the viewport width
Wrapped continuation lines have no line number in the gutter	The line-number margin shows a blank entry for continuation lines
Pressing End moves to the logical end of the line	Cursor lands after the last character of the full logical line, not the first visual line
Line count at the bottom of the status bar is unchanged	The status bar line count reflects logical lines, not visual lines

Step 4: Disable word wrap

If word wrap should be disabled for the current file type:

1. Open the View menu.
2. Click Word wrap.
3. Confirm no checkmark appears next to the item.

The editor viewport immediately reflows the content of all open tabs to extend horizontally without folding. Lines that extend beyond the viewport width become accessible via the horizontal scroll bar that appears at the bottom of the editor.

After disabling word wrap, open a representative file and verify the following:

Verification check	Expected outcome
Short lines align in columns without wrapping	Key-value pairs on adjacent lines are vertically aligned
Horizontal scroll bar is visible at the window bottom (if long lines exist)	Scroll bar appears when any line exceeds the viewport width
Every line in the gutter shows a distinct line number	No continuation lines; every gutter entry has a number
Column-aligned content appears in columns	Tabular content displays its intended column structure

Pro tip

In word-wrap-off mode, use Ctrl + End to jump to the last line of the file without navigating. This confirms the total logical line count, which can be cross-checked against the expected number of key-value pairs in the file structure documentation.

The risk profile of word wrap

Word wrap introduces three specific operational risks in the context of .dat file editing. Each risk is documented below with its probability profile and the mitigation the 57 Studios™ workflow applies.

Risk 1: Trailing-whitespace insertion at visual line ends

When word wrap is enabled, the End key moves the cursor to the end of the visual line rather than the end of the logical line. A modder who presses End and then types a character — for example, to correct a value at the "end" of the visible content — may insert characters between the visual break point and the rest of the logical line rather than after the logical line's true end. If the typed character is a space, the result is invisible trailing whitespace in the middle of the value.

Common mistake

Pressing End to navigate to the end of a long value in word-wrap mode and inserting a character at the visual break point. The fix is to use Ctrl + End within the line context (or click at the true end of the value) to confirm the cursor is at the logical end. The modder should also enable View → Show Symbol → Show Spaces and Tabs periodically when editing long values in word-wrap mode to confirm no invisible whitespace has been introduced.

The Unturned engine is sensitive to trailing whitespace in certain key types. A GUID value with a trailing space will not match the engine's internal registry and will produce a silent parse failure rather than an explicit error. Silent parse failures of this type are among the most time-consuming issues to diagnose because the .dat file appears visually correct.

Risk category	Word wrap ON	Word wrap OFF
Trailing whitespace at visual line end	Moderate risk; cursor behavior at visual break is deceptive	No risk; no visual breaks exist
Trailing whitespace at logical line end	No additional risk from wrapping	No risk from mode; standard editing risk applies
Character insertion at wrong position	Moderate risk in wrap mode; End key lands at visual break	No risk from mode; End key always reaches logical end

Risk 2: Obscured line-number debugging

When word wrap is enabled, the gutter displays a single line number for each logical line, regardless of how many visual lines the content occupies. A modder who is debugging a parse error and has been given a line number — for example, "line 42 of the .dat file" — must translate the line number in the gutter to the visual position in the viewport. In word-wrap mode, logical line 42 may occupy visual lines 42 through 44 if lines 1 through 41 each wrap once. The visual position of logical line 42 is therefore unpredictable without counting wrapped continuations.

Best practice

When debugging a parse error that references a specific line number, disable word wrap before navigating to the line. Use Ctrl + G (Go to line) to jump to the logical line number. With word wrap disabled, the gutter line number and the visual position are in exact correspondence. After identifying and correcting the issue, re-enable word wrap if the file type warrants it.

Scenario	Word wrap ON	Word wrap OFF
Navigate to logical line N by number	Ctrl + G delivers correct line; visual position may be offset from gutter entry	Ctrl + G delivers correct line; visual position matches gutter entry
Confirm line number from cursor position	Status bar shows logical line number; gutter shows logical line number	Both match visual position
Count lines between two positions	Visual line count and logical line count diverge	Visual line count and logical line count are identical

Risk 3: Masking of horizontal structure

Column-aligned content — reference tables, key-padding structures, TSV exports — uses horizontal position as a semantic signal. A column that begins at character position 24 across every line encodes that consistency as a navigational affordance: the modder scans the column rather than reading each line in full. Word wrap destroys this affordance by reflowing the content at an arbitrary column boundary that is determined by the viewport width, not the content structure.

A modder who enables word wrap while reviewing a column-aligned reference table will observe what appears to be a misaligned or corrupted table. The content is not corrupted; the display mode is overriding the structural signal. The operational risk is that the modder may introduce a real alignment change to "fix" the apparent misalignment, which corrupts the actual file structure.

Common mistake

Editing column-aligned content in word-wrap mode to correct apparent misalignment that is actually a display artifact of wrapping. Always disable word wrap before reviewing or editing column-aligned content.

The risk profile of disabling word wrap

Disabling word wrap introduces two specific risks that are symmetrical to the word-wrap risks described above.

Risk 1: Unread long-value content

When word wrap is disabled and a line extends beyond the viewport, the modder must scroll horizontally to read the full value. A modder who does not scroll may read only the visible portion and make a decision based on incomplete information. This is especially consequential when the file contains path values, URL values, or description strings where the critical information may be in the portion of the line that extends beyond the viewport.

Best practice

When editing a file with known long values in word-wrap-off mode, use the End key frequently to confirm that the cursor is at the true end of the line and that the visible content is not truncated. Alternatively, briefly enable word wrap to read a long value in full, then disable it before resuming structural editing.

Risk 2: Missed long-line detection

When word wrap is disabled, a line that appears to be a normal-length key-value pair may actually extend far beyond the viewport if it contains a concatenated value or a duplicated section. The horizontal scroll bar's proportional indicator reveals this: if the scroll thumb is significantly shorter than the scroll track, at least one line in the file is substantially longer than the viewport. A long line in a .dat file that was not intended to be long is often a symptom of a pasted duplicate or a missing line break.

Enabling word wrap temporarily will cause the long line to refllow and become visible, which is a useful diagnostic technique for identifying unexpectedly long lines before submitting a file for review.

Cohort-recommended toggle cadence

The 57 Studios™ contributor cohort has established the following toggle-cadence convention across projects. The convention is documented here for contributors who want to align their session management with the cohort standard.

Session event	Word wrap state	Rationale
Open new session	OFF	Default state; applies until a specific file type warrants a change
Open a .dat file (standard values)	OFF	Standard .dat lines fit comfortably within a typical viewport
Open a .dat file (known long path values)	ON	Long paths require wrap for full visibility; accept trailing-whitespace risk mitigation below
Open a JSON manifest	ON	JSON string values are frequently long
Open a log file for reading	ON	Log reading benefits from visible content
Begin line-number-referenced debugging	OFF	Line-number correspondence requires word wrap OFF
Open a column-aligned reference file	OFF	Column structure requires word wrap OFF
End of session	(state persists)	Notepad++ saves the word-wrap state across sessions

Did you know?

Notepad++ persists the word-wrap state in %APPDATA%\Notepad++\config.xml across sessions. The state from the last session is restored when Notepad++ launches. The cohort default-OFF convention means that contributors check and confirm the state at the start of each session before opening files, rather than assuming the state matches the required configuration.

Word wrap and the session-start checklist

The recommended session-start checklist for 57 Studios™ contributors includes a word-wrap state check as one of four items. The full checklist is reproduced below.

Check	Action	Location
Encoding indicator	Confirm encoding matches expected file encoding	Status bar, bottom-right
Line-ending indicator	Confirm line-ending format matches project convention	Status bar, bottom-right
Word-wrap state	Confirm word wrap matches the first file type to be opened	View menu
Font size	Confirm font size is calibrated for the active display	View → Zoom → Current Zoom or Style Configurator

The word-wrap check is the third item because it depends on knowing which file type will be opened first, which is typically known at session start. The check takes under ten seconds and prevents the most common session-start misconfiguration.

Pro tip

If the session will involve multiple file types, note the toggle sequence at session start rather than discovering it mid-session. A written or typed note of the form "dat: OFF, JSON: ON, log: ON" takes thirty seconds to produce and prevents mid-session uncertainty about the correct state for each file type.

Word wrap interaction with font size

Word wrap wraps at the viewport boundary, which is determined by the viewport width and the font size. A larger font size causes fewer characters to fit per visual line, which means wrap points occur more frequently. This interaction has two practical consequences:

1. At large font sizes (16pt and above), even standard-length .dat key-value lines may wrap if the viewport is narrow. A modder using a large font should verify that common .dat lines fit without wrapping before settling on a font size and window width combination.
2. The number of visual lines per logical line is proportional to the font size. At 14pt on a 1080p display with a typical window width, a 100-character line wraps once (two visual lines). At 18pt, the same line may wrap twice (three visual lines). The more wraps per logical line, the higher the cognitive overhead of tracking logical line boundaries.

Font size	Characters per visual line (1080p, full-width window)	100-char line visual count
10pt	~160	1
12pt	~130	1
14pt	~110	1
16pt	~95	2
18pt	~85	2
20pt	~75	2

The values in the table are approximate and depend on the specific font face (monospace fonts have consistent character widths, but different monospace fonts have different em widths). The table values assume a standard 1920-pixel viewport with the Notepad++ line-number gutter visible.

Common mistake

Increasing the font size beyond 16pt and then enabling word wrap on a session that includes standard .dat files. At sizes above 16pt, standard .dat lines begin to wrap on typical viewport widths, which introduces the trailing-whitespace and line-number risks described in the risk section even for files that would not wrap at smaller sizes. The recommended practice is to keep the font at or below 14pt if word wrap will be used with .dat files.

Configuring per-file-type word-wrap defaults

Notepad++ does not provide a native per-file-type word-wrap default. The word-wrap state is a single global toggle that applies to all open tabs simultaneously. There is no built-in mechanism to cause Notepad++ to enable word wrap automatically when a JSON file is opened and disable it when a .dat file is opened.

The practical workaround in the 57 Studios™ workflow is the cohort toggle-cadence convention described earlier: contributors check and set the state manually each time a file type changes within a session. This is a discipline-based solution rather than a configuration-based solution.

For contributors who use the NppExec plugin, a macro can be written to toggle word wrap as part of a file-open macro sequence. This is an advanced configuration outside the scope of this reference.

Did you know?

The Notepad++ issue tracker includes a long-standing feature request for per-language word-wrap default configuration. As of the current release, the feature has not been implemented. Monitoring the release notes for future Notepad++ versions is the recommended way to learn when this capability becomes available.

Verifying word-wrap state before submitting a file

Before a .dat file is submitted for review or pushed to the project repository, the word-wrap state should be set to OFF and the file should be scrolled through horizontally to confirm that no line contains unexpected content beyond the viewport boundary. This review step catches the most common artifacts of accidental word-wrap-mode editing: trailing whitespace mid-line and accidental character insertion at visual break points.

The recommended review sequence is:

1. Set word wrap to OFF.
2. Open the file in Notepad++.
3. Use Ctrl + End to jump to the last line.
4. Note the logical line count from the status bar.
5. Compare the logical line count to the expected count from the file's specification or the template.
6. If the count differs, use Ctrl + G to navigate to the first unexpected line and review it.
7. Enable View → Show Symbol → Show Spaces and Tabs to confirm no invisible whitespace is present.
8. Disable View → Show Symbol → Show Spaces and Tabs after the review.

Pro tip

View → Show Symbol → Show Spaces and Tabs is a temporary diagnostic display. It adds visible markers for every space (a small centered dot) and every tab (a right-pointing arrow). Leaving this mode active during normal editing clutters the viewport and makes the file harder to read. Enable it for diagnostic review only and disable it immediately after.

The image above shows a .dat file in word-wrap-off mode with Show Spaces and Tabs enabled. The trailing-space marker is visible at the end of one line as a centered dot after the last character. This is the visual indicator that would catch a trailing-whitespace insertion made in word-wrap-on mode.

FAQ

Does enabling word wrap change the file on disk? No. Word wrap is a display-only setting. The file on disk is written with the same line structure it had before word wrap was enabled. No line-break characters are inserted or removed by toggling word wrap.

Does Notepad++ remember the word-wrap setting between sessions? Yes. Notepad++ saves the word-wrap state to %APPDATA%\Notepad++\config.xml when the application closes and restores it when the application opens. The saved state is session-wide, not per-file.

Can I set different word-wrap states for different open tabs? No. The word-wrap toggle in Notepad++ is global across all open tabs in the same Notepad++ window. Changing the state affects all tabs simultaneously. If different states are needed for different tabs simultaneously, the only option is to open a second Notepad++ window and configure the two windows independently.

Does word wrap affect the line count shown in the status bar? No. The status bar shows the logical line count regardless of word-wrap state. The logical line count reflects the number of newline characters in the file. Visual line count (which includes wrapped continuations) is higher when word wrap is enabled but is not displayed in the status bar.

Is there a way to see only wrapped lines or only overlong lines? Notepad++ does not have a built-in filter for line length. The NppExec plugin can be used to run a script that identifies lines exceeding a specified character length. For diagnostic purposes, the quickest method is to set word wrap to OFF, then scroll horizontally through the file to find lines that extend beyond the viewport.

Does word wrap affect the Find and Replace behavior? No. Find and Replace operates on logical lines, not visual lines. A search for a pattern that spans a visual wrap break will match correctly because the search engine sees the logical line as a single string. Word wrap does not affect search or replace outcomes.

Why does the End key land in the middle of a long line when word wrap is on? When word wrap is enabled, the End key moves to the end of the current visual line, not the logical line. To move to the end of the logical line in word-wrap mode, press End twice (the first press goes to the visual end; the second press goes to the logical end if the Notepad++ version implements this behavior) or use Ctrl + Right to navigate character by character to the logical end. The exact behavior of the End key in wrap mode varies by Notepad++ version; testing on the installed version is the reliable way to confirm behavior.

What is the keyboard shortcut for word wrap? The keyboard shortcut is Alt + Z. Pressing Alt + Z while the editor viewport has focus toggles word wrap between enabled and disabled without opening the View menu.

Does word wrap affect printing? Yes. When word wrap is enabled, the print output from File → Print reflects the visual line layout, including wrap breaks. When word wrap is disabled, long lines in the print output are truncated at the paper margin. If print output is needed and line completeness matters, enable word wrap before printing and disable it afterward.

What does the cohort-recommended default state mean in practice? The default state is OFF, meaning a session starts with word wrap disabled. This is the conservative default because the trailing-whitespace and line-number risks of word-wrap mode are more consequential in .dat editing than the horizontal-scrolling inconvenience of word-wrap-off mode. Contributors who regularly work with long-value files may choose a different personal default, but the cohort convention is OFF at session start.

Can word wrap be toggled without using the View menu? Yes. The keyboard shortcut Alt + Z toggles word wrap from anywhere in the Notepad++ window without requiring the menu to be opened. This makes mid-session toggling fast enough to use it as a per-file-type habit rather than a per-session decision.

Does disabling word wrap affect performance on very large files? Disabling word wrap does not meaningfully affect rendering performance in Notepad++. Notepad++ uses a virtualized rendering model that draws only the lines visible in the viewport. Whether word wrap is on or off, the number of lines rendered at any moment is bounded by the viewport height.

Best practices

• Default to word wrap OFF at session start and assess the correct state for each file type before editing.
• Enable Show Spaces and Tabs during diagnostic review of any file edited in word-wrap mode before submission.
• Disable word wrap before navigating to a line by number during debugging.
• Never edit column-aligned content in word-wrap mode.
• Use Alt + Z for fast mid-session toggling between file types.
• Confirm End key behavior in word-wrap mode on the installed Notepad++ version before relying on it for precise cursor positioning.
• Apply the session-start checklist (encoding, line endings, word wrap, font size) before opening the first file of each session.
• Review the file in word-wrap-off mode before submission to catch trailing whitespace and unexpected line extensions.

Appendix A: Word wrap and the broader readability discussion

Word wrap is one of three display-layer decisions that the 57 Studios™ workflow treats as primary readability configuration. The three decisions are:

1. Font face and size — documented in How to Change the Font in Notepad++.
2. Word wrap — documented in this reference.
3. Show Spaces and Tabs — a diagnostic toggle rather than a session default, documented in this appendix.

The three decisions interact: font size determines the effective column width at which word wrap occurs; word wrap determines whether long values are visible without scrolling; and Show Spaces and Tabs reveals the invisible content that word-wrap mode can introduce. A modder who has calibrated all three settings is equipped to read .dat content accurately and to detect the most common invisible errors before they are submitted.

The broader context for readability configuration in the 57 Studios™ workflow is file management: the precision with which a modder reads and edits configuration files determines the rate at which configuration errors reach the review stage. Configuration errors in Unturned™ item files range from silent-failure (item fails to load with no engine error message) to visible failure (item loads with incorrect properties). Both categories consume review time that would otherwise be spent on feature development. The display-layer configuration documented in this reference and in the font reference is the preventive layer before errors are created, not the diagnostic layer after they are detected.

Readability configuration layer	Primary setting	Primary risk it addresses
Font	Monospace face with distinct zero	Character misidentification in GUIDs and hex values
Size	12–14pt for primary display	Visual fatigue and character-blur at small sizes
Word wrap	File-type-specific per cohort convention	Trailing whitespace, obscured line structure
Show Spaces and Tabs	Diagnostic ON before submission	Invisible whitespace detection

Appendix B: Word wrap configuration file location and manual editing

The word-wrap state is stored in %APPDATA%\Notepad++\config.xml under the <GUIConfig name="WordWrap"> element. The element's value is yes when word wrap is enabled and no when disabled.

Contributors who manage Notepad++ configuration through version control or shared configuration templates can set the word-wrap default state by editing this element before distributing the configuration file. The recommended value for a fresh 57 Studios™ contributor workstation is no.

config.xml element	Value for word wrap OFF	Value for word wrap ON
<GUIConfig name="WordWrap">	no	yes

Common mistake

Editing config.xml while Notepad++ is running. Notepad++ overwrites config.xml when it exits, which will discard any manual edits made to the file while the application is open. Always close Notepad++ before editing config.xml directly.

The full config.xml file contains dozens of configuration elements beyond word wrap. Contributors who want to distribute a standardised configuration should copy the entire file rather than extracting the word-wrap element in isolation, because the elements interact and a partial config.xml may produce unexpected behavior.

Appendix C: Word wrap behavior across Notepad++ versions

The word-wrap toggle has been present in Notepad++ since early in the application's history. The core behavior — display-only reflow at the viewport boundary, no modification of file content — has not changed across versions. The following version-specific notes apply to the releases in active use within the 57 Studios™ contributor cohort as of the current publication date.

Notepad++ version range	Word wrap behavior notes
7.x	Word wrap functional; End key behavior in wrap mode is at visual line end only
8.0–8.3	No change to word wrap core behavior; DirectWrite improvements affect rendering quality
8.4+	No change to word wrap core behavior; per-language settings expanded but do not include word wrap
Current (8.7+)	Behavior identical to 8.4+; End key in word-wrap mode lands at visual line end

The End-key behavior in word-wrap mode — landing at the visual line end rather than the logical line end — has been a documented characteristic of Notepad++ across all versions in the table. Future Notepad++ releases may modify this behavior. Release notes for each Notepad++ update are published on the official download page at https://notepad-plus-plus.org/downloads/ and should be reviewed when updating to confirm that word-wrap behavior has not changed.

Did you know?

The Notepad++ project has received feature requests to add an option for the End key to navigate to the logical line end in word-wrap mode. As of the current release, this option is not implemented. Monitoring the release notes and the project's GitHub issue tracker is the recommended way to learn when the behavior changes.

Word wrap and multi-tab session management

A typical 57 Studios™ editing session involves multiple open tabs: one or more .dat files, a JSON manifest, occasionally a log file for reference, and sometimes a Markdown documentation file. Each tab may warrant a different word-wrap state, but Notepad++ applies the same word-wrap state to all open tabs simultaneously. This section documents the session-management practices that minimize the disorientation of a global-state toggle in a multi-tab session.

Tab ordering convention

The 57 Studios™ cohort convention is to group tabs by file type when multiple types are open simultaneously. The recommended order is:

Tab position	File type	Word-wrap state
Leftmost	.dat files (all of them)	OFF
Middle	JSON manifests	ON
Rightmost	Log files and documentation	ON

By grouping tabs so that the file types that share a word-wrap state are adjacent, the modder minimizes the number of state changes required when navigating between tabs. Moving within the .dat group requires no state change. Moving from the .dat group to the JSON group requires one toggle. Moving within the JSON group requires no further change.

Pro tip

Notepad++ supports tab drag-and-drop reordering. After opening a session's files, spend thirty seconds reorganizing the tabs according to the convention above. The overhead of reordering is offset by the reduction in state-change errors across the rest of the session.

The ordering convention does not affect the file content or the Notepad++ session state. It is a cognitive ergonomics convention, not a technical requirement.

Tab title indicators

Notepad++ does not display the word-wrap state per tab in the tab title bar. A modder who moves between tabs frequently may lose track of the current word-wrap state. The recommended practice is:

1. Before navigating to a tab of a different file type, note the word-wrap state change required.
2. Navigate to the tab.
3. Apply the state change.
4. Verify the state change via the View menu checkmark.

The four-step sequence takes under five seconds and is the only reliable method for maintaining correct word-wrap state across tab transitions in the absence of per-tab state tracking.

Common mistake

Navigating to a .dat tab from a JSON tab without disabling word wrap, then editing a long-key line in word-wrap mode. The resulting trailing-whitespace risk described in the risk-profile section applies regardless of how the word-wrap mode was enabled. The state does not reset when a tab is changed; it persists until explicitly toggled.

Word wrap during file comparison

The Notepad++ Compare and ComparePlus plugins display two files side by side in a split-pane layout. Word wrap interacts with the comparison pane layout in a way that can distort the visual correspondence between lines in the two panes.

When word wrap is enabled during a comparison session:

• A line in the left pane that wraps onto two visual lines occupies two visual rows in the left pane.
• The corresponding line in the right pane that does not wrap occupies one visual row.
• The two panes lose vertical alignment: the visual row in the left pane that holds the wrapped continuation is visually adjacent to the next line in the right pane, not the end of the same logical line.

The practical consequence is that a comparison of two .dat files in word-wrap mode produces a pane layout where long-value lines appear to be misaligned with their counterparts. The misalignment is a display artifact and does not indicate a real content difference.

Best practice

Always disable word wrap before opening a comparison session. The comparison plugins assume a one-to-one relationship between visual lines in each pane, and that relationship is only reliable when word wrap is off and every logical line occupies exactly one visual line.

The comparison session should be conducted entirely in word-wrap-off mode. After the comparison is complete and any differences have been resolved, the word-wrap state can be restored for the file type being edited.

Word wrap and the line-ending indicator

The Notepad++ status bar displays the line-ending format of the active file (Windows CR LF, Unix LF, or Mac CR). This indicator is always present regardless of word-wrap state. However, word wrap affects the relationship between what the modder sees and what the line-ending indicator describes.

When word wrap is enabled, each visual fold is not a line ending — it is a display artifact. The line-ending indicator reflects the actual line-ending characters in the file, not the visual line breaks introduced by wrapping. A modder who confuses visual folds with line endings may misinterpret the line-ending indicator or may add explicit line-break characters to "fix" a wrapped line that has no actual line-ending problem.

Common mistake

Inserting a newline character at a visual fold point in word-wrap mode to break a long line into two shorter lines. This splits a single logical line into two separate lines, which changes the file structure. The Unturned engine reads the two resulting lines as separate key-value pairs. If the original logical line was a single key-value pair, splitting it produces either a key without a value or a value without a key, both of which cause the engine to fail to parse the affected entry.

The relationship between visual folds and actual line endings is the most consequential operational distinction in word-wrap mode. The following comparison makes the distinction concrete:

Scenario	Visual appearance	File structure	Engine behavior
Long line in word-wrap-off	One visual line, extends beyond viewport	One logical line	Engine reads one key-value pair
Long line in word-wrap-on	Two or more visual lines	One logical line	Engine reads one key-value pair (same as above)
Long line with inserted newline	Two visual lines	Two logical lines	Engine reads two key-value pairs; one is likely malformed

Word wrap and search result navigation

Notepad++ Find (Ctrl + F) and Find in Files (Ctrl + Shift + F) highlight matches and allow navigation between matches using the Find Next (F3) and Find Previous (Shift + F3) keys. In word-wrap mode, a match that falls in the wrapped portion of a line may be scrolled partially out of view when the cursor lands on it.

The specific symptom is: Notepad++ scrolls to center the logical line that contains the match, but the match character is in the wrapped continuation that falls below the center-of-viewport position. The match character is visible, but it is near the bottom of the viewport rather than in the center, and the visual context above the match (the beginning of the logical line) may be partially scrolled off the top.

For search-result navigation in word-wrap mode, the recommended practice is to increase the viewport height (maximize the Notepad++ window or resize the panel) so that more visual lines are visible simultaneously. A taller viewport reduces the chance that the matched character and the beginning of its logical line are on opposite sides of the viewport.

Pro tip

When using Find to locate specific key names in a .dat file, use word wrap OFF. Key names are at the beginning of their logical lines, and with word wrap off, the found key name is always at the leftmost position of the visual line — the natural reading start point. In word-wrap mode, the found key name may appear at the beginning of the second or third visual line of the logical line, which requires upward scanning to orient to the full line context.

Word wrap, horizontal scroll bar, and the mini-map

Notepad++ supports an optional document mini-map panel that displays a small-scale rendering of the entire file in a narrow column alongside the main editor. The mini-map panel is enabled through View → Document Map. The mini-map renders the document at a reduced scale that makes the full file structure visible at a glance.

Word wrap affects the mini-map rendering in a predictable way: when word wrap is enabled, the mini-map displays the wrapped visual layout rather than the logical-line layout. On a file with many long lines, word-wrap mode causes the mini-map to display a dense column of short-width visual lines. Word-wrap-off mode causes the mini-map to display the longer horizontal layout, where long lines extend to the right boundary of the mini-map panel.

Did you know?

The mini-map panel in word-wrap mode can be a useful indicator of which logical lines are long. Lines that occupy multiple visual rows in the mini-map are logical lines that extend beyond the viewport width. This is a fast way to identify unexpectedly long lines in a .dat file: enable word wrap, open the Document Map, and scan for logical lines that take up significantly more vertical space than neighboring lines.

After using the mini-map to identify long lines, disable word wrap to resolve them. In word-wrap-off mode, the horizontal scroll bar's scroll-thumb proportional indicator shows the ratio of the viewport width to the longest line's length. A very small scroll thumb indicates at least one line is substantially longer than the viewport. Navigate to the longest line using the horizontal scroll bar to confirm its content.

Display element	Word wrap ON behavior	Word wrap OFF behavior
Document Map (mini-map)	Shows wrapped visual layout; long lines appear as multiple rows	Shows logical-line layout; long lines extend to mini-map right edge
Horizontal scroll bar	Hidden or minimal (content fits within viewport)	Visible; scroll-thumb size indicates longest line relative to viewport
Vertical scroll bar	Taller thumb (more visual lines per content)	Shorter thumb (fewer visual lines; logical lines only)
Line number gutter	Blank entries for continuation visual lines	All entries are distinct numbers

Word wrap state during Notepad++ plugin execution

Several Notepad++ plugins execute operations that depend on line structure — for example, the NppExec plugin runs external commands against the current document, and the TextFX plugin applies text transformations to selected text or the current line. These operations act on the logical file structure, not the visual layout. Word wrap does not affect their outcomes.

However, some plugin operations require the modder to select a range of lines. When word wrap is enabled, selecting from the end of one visual line to the beginning of the next visual line in a wrapped continuation may select only a partial logical line rather than a complete key-value pair. The selection appears complete in the viewport — the highlighted text fills from the selection start to the visible fold boundary — but the selection does not include the remainder of the logical line that extends beyond the fold.

Common mistake

Selecting text for a plugin operation by clicking at the end of a visual line in word-wrap mode and then processing the selection. If the visual line is a wrapped continuation, the selection ends at the fold boundary, not at the logical end of the line. The plugin operates on the partial selection and produces an incorrect result. Always disable word wrap before making selections for plugin operations on long lines.

The safest practice for plugin operations that require line-range selection is to disable word wrap before selecting any range. With word wrap off, the beginning and end of every logical line are directly selectable without navigating through fold boundaries.

Word wrap and Notepad++ session restore

Notepad++ saves the current session state — open files, cursor positions, scroll positions, and word-wrap state — in %APPDATA%\Notepad++\session.xml when the application closes. When Notepad++ reopens, it restores the session from this file. The word-wrap state at the time of close is the state that will be active at the start of the next session.

This behavior has a practical implication for session-start habits: a session that ended with word wrap ON will open the next session with word wrap ON. A modder who follows the default-OFF convention must check and correct the word-wrap state at every session start, not only sessions that follow a session explicitly set to OFF.

Session end state	Next session start state	Action required at next session start
Word wrap OFF	Word wrap OFF	Confirm OFF; no change needed
Word wrap ON	Word wrap ON	Toggle OFF before opening first file
Unknown (unexpected Notepad++ close)	State from session.xml at close	Check View menu before opening first file

Pro tip

Make the word-wrap View-menu check the second action of every session start, immediately after confirming the encoding indicator in the status bar. The two checks together take under ten seconds and confirm two of the four items on the session-start checklist described in this reference. The remaining two checks (line endings and font size) are appropriate on a less frequent cadence — once per display calibration event rather than once per session.

Appendix D: Word wrap and the 57 Studios™ file-management reference

The readability decisions documented in this reference — word-wrap state, Show Spaces and Tabs diagnostic mode, and line-number verification — are part of a larger file-management discipline that the 57 Studios™ workflow applies across all Unturned™ mod projects. The file-management discipline is documented across multiple references in the knowledge base, and the word-wrap reference is the entry point for the display-layer portion of that discipline.

The table below maps the word-wrap and display-layer decisions to the file-management contexts in which they are most consequential.

File-management context	Word-wrap recommendation	Related display decision
GUID entry and verification	OFF	Show Spaces and Tabs for verification
Path value entry	ON (caution; accept trailing-whitespace risk)	Large font size for path-length visibility
Multi-file structural review	OFF	Compare plugin in word-wrap-off mode
Log file diagnostic review	ON	No additional display adjustment
JSON manifest authoring	ON	Color syntax highlighting via UDL
Pre-submission file review	OFF	Show Spaces and Tabs for trailing-whitespace check
Screen-share or documentation capture	OFF (or per viewer request)	+2pt font increase per screen-sharing convention

The word-wrap setting is the single most frequently toggled display control in a full-cycle mod-development session. The modder who builds the habit of checking and setting word-wrap state at each file-type boundary will spend less time diagnosing the class of invisible errors that word-wrap mode can introduce, and more time on the content decisions that determine whether a mod item functions as intended.

Word wrap interaction with the NppExec plugin and external tools

Some 57 Studios™ contributors use the NppExec plugin to run validation scripts against open .dat files without leaving the editor. NppExec executes an external command against the current file and displays the output in a console panel within Notepad++. The word-wrap state of the editor does not affect NppExec execution — the plugin passes the file path to the external command, which reads the file from disk rather than from the editor's display buffer.

However, the NppExec console panel itself is subject to its own text-rendering configuration. The console panel displays output in a fixed-width format that is independent of the main editor's word-wrap state. Validation output that contains long lines (for example, a validation error message that includes the full path and the offending value) wraps in the console panel regardless of the editor's word-wrap setting.

Did you know?

The NppExec console panel does not use the Style Configurator font settings. It uses a separate font that can be configured within the NppExec plugin settings. For consistency, the 57 Studios™ recommendation is to set the NppExec console font to the same monospace face used in the main editor, so that file paths and value strings in validation output are rendered with the same character-width characteristics as the values being validated.

The practical takeaway is: word wrap in the main editor does not affect validation tool behavior, but word wrap in the console output (which is always on) is something to account for when reading validation output that includes long values.

Word wrap and the Notepad++ macro recorder

Notepad++ includes a macro recorder that can record and replay sequences of editor actions. Recorded macros capture keyboard input and menu interactions, including the word-wrap toggle. If a macro is recorded that includes a word-wrap toggle as part of its action sequence, replaying the macro will toggle word wrap again — which may produce a different result depending on the word-wrap state at replay time versus the state at recording time.

Common mistake

Recording a macro on a session where word wrap is OFF, including a sequence that visually confirms content layout (and which would only produce the expected result with word wrap OFF), then replaying the macro during a later session where word wrap is ON. The macro's content-editing actions will proceed, but any action that assumed word-wrap-off line structure will produce incorrect results in wrap-on mode.

The recommended practice when creating macros that involve structural navigation (End key, Home key, line-range selection) is to include an explicit word-wrap disable step at the start of the macro and a word-wrap restore step at the end. This makes the macro's behavior independent of the word-wrap state at the time of replay.

Appendix E: Summary of word wrap risk by file operation type

The following table consolidates the operational risk of each word-wrap state by the specific editing operation being performed. It is intended as a quick-reference decision table for contributors who have read the full reference and want a single-page summary for ongoing use.

Operation	Word wrap ON risk	Word wrap OFF risk	Recommended state
Read a GUID value	Moderate (visual split may fall inside GUID)	None	OFF
Type a GUID value	High (End key at visual break; trailing-space risk)	None	OFF
Read a file-path value	None (wrap improves full-path visibility)	High (path extends beyond viewport; missed content)	ON
Type a file-path value	Moderate (trailing-whitespace risk at visual end)	Low (full path visible during typing if viewport is wide)	ON with caution
Read a short key-value pair	None (short lines fit one visual row in either mode)	None	Either; OFF is convention
Navigate to line by number	High (logical and visual line numbers diverge)	None	OFF
Run Compare plugin	High (pane alignment breaks with wrapped lines)	None	OFF
Search and navigate to result	Moderate (result may land near viewport edge)	None	OFF
Review for trailing whitespace	High (trailing space on visual line end is not logical end)	None (horizontal scroll reveals true end)	OFF
Read a JSON string value	None (wrap improves visibility of long strings)	Moderate (long strings extend beyond viewport)	ON
Edit a JSON string value	Moderate (same trailing-whitespace risk as path values)	Low	ON with caution

Document history

Version	Date	Author	Notes
1.0	2026-05-18	57 Studios	Initial publication covering word-wrap toggle mechanics, file-type recommendations, risk profiles, and cohort toggle-cadence convention.

Word wrap state verification for onboarding

New 57 Studios™ contributors complete a display-configuration verification step during onboarding that confirms both the font configuration (documented in the previous reference) and the word-wrap default state. The word-wrap verification is straightforward: the contributor opens the View menu and confirms that the Word wrap menu item has no checkmark. The state is confirmed as OFF and documented in the contributor's onboarding record alongside the font-configuration screenshot.

If the word-wrap state is ON at onboarding verification, the contributor toggles it to OFF via the View menu or Alt + Z, reopens the View menu to confirm the checkmark is absent, and documents the corrected state. No screenshot is required for word-wrap verification because the state is binary and easily reset; the font configuration is more complex and warrants a screenshot for the record.

The following is the complete onboarding display-configuration record for a new contributor:

Configuration item	Verification method	Expected state	Document how
Font face	Style Configurator screenshot	Cascadia Code or equivalent	Screenshot attached to onboarding record
Font size	Style Configurator screenshot	12–14pt for standard display	Screenshot attached to onboarding record
DirectWrite	Preferences screenshot	Enabled	Screenshot attached to onboarding record
Word wrap default	View menu observation	OFF (no checkmark)	Written confirmation in onboarding record
Encoding default	Status bar observation	UTF-8	Written confirmation in onboarding record
Line-ending default	Status bar observation	Windows (CR LF)	Written confirmation in onboarding record

The display-configuration verification is the final step of the Notepad++ onboarding sequence before the contributor opens their first project file. All six items in the table above should be confirmed before proceeding to the project file referenced in the first assigned task.

Pro tip

After completing the onboarding verification, open the first assigned project .dat file with word wrap OFF. Read the first five lines and confirm that the key-value structure is visible without horizontal scrolling. If any line extends beyond the viewport, it is either a legitimately long value or an accidentally concatenated line. Confirming this at onboarding ensures the contributor starts with accurate expectations about the file structure before they begin editing.

Cross-references

• How to Install Notepad++ — Foundation reference for the Notepad++ installation that this reference builds on.
• How to Change the Font in Notepad++ — The previous reference; font size interacts with word-wrap column width in the ways documented in this reference.
• Project Folder Structure and GUIDs — The next reference; GUID values appear frequently in .dat files and benefit from the word-wrap-off and monospace-font configuration documented across this section.

Word wrap in the context of the full Notepad++ configuration sequence

This reference is the third configuration reference in the Notepad++ section of the 57 Studios™ knowledge base. The configuration sequence the knowledge base follows — installation, encoding, font, word wrap — is ordered from the most foundational to the most context-specific. Installation is a prerequisite for everything else. Encoding is a correctness requirement that must be confirmed before any file is saved. Font is a readability configuration that affects every editing session. Word wrap is a per-file-type, per-session decision that is made continuously throughout the contributor's work.

The ordering reflects the consequence of an error at each layer. An installation error means no work can proceed at all. An encoding error means files are saved in a format the Unturned engine cannot parse, which produces errors only detectable at engine startup. A font configuration error means character-identification errors are more likely, which produces errors detectable only during content review. A word-wrap error means invisible structural errors may be introduced, which produces errors detectable only during pre-submission review or engine testing.

The word-wrap layer is the one with the widest gap between cause and detection. An error introduced by incorrect word-wrap behavior — a trailing-whitespace character in the middle of a value — is invisible in the editor, invisible in the file name, and invisible in the file encoding indicator. It is only detectable through Show Spaces and Tabs, through a visual character-by-character review of the raw file content, or through an engine parse failure that does not produce a helpful error message. This is why the reference treats word wrap as a serious configuration decision and documents its risk profile at the level of detail appropriate to that consequence.

The full display-configuration sequence is complete after this reference. The next reference, Project Folder Structure and GUIDs, moves into the content layer — the structure of the files that the configured editor will be used to create and maintain.

Best practice

After completing both the font-configuration reference and this word-wrap reference, open a representative project .dat file and work through ten key-value pairs with the display configuration active. This brief orientation session confirms that the configuration produces accurate, low-effort reading under real project content before a production editing session begins. If any configuration item feels incorrect during the orientation, return to the relevant reference and adjust before proceeding.

Next steps

With word wrap configured according to the file-type recommendations in this reference, continue to Project Folder Structure and GUIDs to understand the file layout and identifier system that the .dat files you have been preparing your editor to read are part of. The GUID values that appear throughout project folder structures are the values most sensitive to the character-legibility and invisible-whitespace risks documented across this reference and the font reference that precedes it. The two display-layer configuration references in this section — font and word wrap — exist as preparation for the precision required to work with those values accurately.

The session-start checklist, the toggle-cadence convention, and the pre-submission review procedure documented in this reference are the operational layer that connects display configuration to file-quality outcomes. Contributors who follow all three consistently reduce their per-session error rate to the level the 57 Studios™ cohort has validated as acceptable for production mod releases.