Microsoft has rolled out an update to Windows 11 Notepad, introducing new text formatting options for users. The update, currently available to Windows Insiders on the Canary and Dev Channel, brings features like bold, italics, hyperlinks, and Markdown support to the traditional text editor.
The new formatting options are accessible through a toolbar at the top of the app window, offering users “additional flexibility in how you structure content across your files,” according to Microsoft. For those who prefer to use Notepad as a plain text editor, the company has included the option to clear all formatting from the toolbar or through the edit menu.
Users can also toggle between formatted Markdown and Markdown syntax views using a button in the status bar at the bottom of the window. To access these new features, users need to update Notepad to version 11.2504.50.0.
This update is part of Microsoft’s ongoing efforts to modernize Notepad, which was fully redesigned for Windows 11 in 2021. Recent additions include multiple tab support, a character counter, autocorrect, and spell check. While the new formatting features are currently limited to Insider builds, they may eventually be rolled out to the stable channel.
The enhancements to Notepad position it as a potential replacement for the now-deprecated WordPad, offering users more functionality in a lightweight text editing application.
