If you use Notepad++ often, you may notice that it recognizes the type of file you open and provides nice synatx style for the language of the file. For example, it knows .js is a JavaScript file and .css is a CSS file. Each file type has its own unique style settings. There are a lot of these predefined file types, but what if Notepad++ doens’t support a file type you open often? If you want to make a custom file type use the same style of another type, just use the Style Configurator to define your own extensions.
In Notepad++ navigate to Settings > Style Configurator…
Choose a language on the left side that you want your own extension to match (i.e. if I want .config files to style like XML then I’d choose XML). In the User ext. field near the bottom, enter in your custom user extension without the dot in front of it (e.g. config for *.config files). Now restart Notepad++ and it will map that new extension to the style you’ve chosen.

Thank you, I had been looking for this for quite some time! I am glad the internet exists on so many levels.
Since this is about setting .config files to use XML syntax by default in NP++ it would also be worth mentioning how that other file types can do the same here.
I currently have my NP++ XML user extensions set to “aspx ascx ashx asmx config master”. These are the most common .NET files that use XML (or XML like) syntax.
Here is an installer to associate several file types to Notepad++.
Cheers!
On my system I had to run Notepad++ as an administrator to make this change.
Thanks, I’ve been looking for this for a while now! I wish the settings were a little more organized.
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Thanks. It worked great !!