Microsoft has determined that Home windows 11 is a perfect launch pad for an replace to Notepad. The venerable utility will now obtain a brand new darkish mode in addition to some sensible enhancements.
Nevertheless, not everybody will obtain the brand new Notepad instantly. For one, Microsoft is rolling out the brand new Notepad by way of the Dev Channel of its Home windows Insider program. Extra importantly, Microsoft hasn’t stated something about making the brand new Notepad out there to Home windows 10—it appears to be a hook designed to entice you into getting Home windows 11.
So what does the brand new Notepad supply? The obvious adjustments might be aesthetic: the rounded corners which can be attribute of the Home windows 11 Mica design aesthetic, in addition to a brand new darkish mode that gained’t blow out your retinas if seen late at night time.
However there are two extra sensible enhancements, even when they may appear a bit overdue. First, Microsoft is including a brand new “discover and exchange” expertise that appears extra in keeping with Home windows apps like Mail: an enormous drop-down field will allow you to seek out particular phrases and phrases in your doc. Second, you’ll be capable of shortly repair any errors you would possibly make by way of a characteristic Microsoft calls a “multi-level undo,” the place you possibly can faucet CTRL-Z a number of occasions to undo in reverse order any errors you may need made.
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Sadly, such fundamental options as autosave haven’t but made it to Notepad, forcing you to manually save every now and then. (The present model of Notepad locations a small asterisk subsequent to the filename to point that unsaved adjustments have been made.) Quite a few Notepad alternate options have been out there for years, nevertheless, together with Notepad++ and Metapad, each of that are free and open supply.
Microsoft’s tweaks to Notepad are amongst plenty of updates Microsoft is making to its Home windows 11 apps, together with Paint, Images, and even the Clock.
As PCWorld’s senior editor, Mark focuses on Microsoft information and chip know-how, amongst different beats. He has previously written for PCMag, BYTE, Slashdot, eWEEK, and ReadWrite.
