The once under-appreciated Microsoft Notepad app continues to get new features, with spell checker and autocorrect reportedly set to be the next Windows staple. It originally debuted as a very simplified version of Microsoft Word, but Notepad is now starting to look more and more like Word with each successive update.
This latest Notepad update is currently only available on Windows 11 Preview Build 26085, which you can get through the Windows Insider program, Microsoft's community for Windows professionals and enthusiasts to test new versions and features of Windows before they are released. release to a broader user base. .
According to MSPowerUser, the updated Notepad app (version 11.2402.18.0) is available in the Dev and Canary release channels of the Windows Insider Program. Apparently, the update will also allow users to customize how these new features are used. This is good news, as Notepad is widely known as a simple text editor and I'm sure many users would prefer to keep it that way.
Windows Insider @PhantomOfEarth shared Notepad update on X (formerly Twitter), where he noted that Microsoft is currently testing the features ahead of a broader rollout. He also shared a screenshot of what the Notepad settings page will look like and some of the new settings users will be able to adjust (specifically, being able to turn autocorrect and spell checker on and off).
Windows Notepad is getting spell checking and autocorrect soon! Here are some changes to the app's settings page: pic.twitter.com/QKUeTWuI55March 20, 2024
While not seen in this screenshot, MSPowerUser claims that additional settings will allow users to further customize their feature preferences by selecting which file types the new features apply to. It also reports that beyond Notepad, Microsoft is experimenting with new sections in the Windows 11 settings menu and new user interface (UI) animations that will be included in this Windows preview.
Early receipt of the new Notepad by users
The introduction of spell check and autocorrect in Notepad follows the recent introduction of Cowriter, an artificial writing assistant (AI), which was seen in an earlier preview.
Cowriter didn't get the warmest response from users, as again, Notepad is the basic Windows 'plain text app' and many users aren't interested in additional details. It's also a pretty overt attempt by Microsoft to make good on its promise to inject AI into as much of the user experience in Windows as possible, which has upset some users.
It seems that Microsoft may have taken note of this reaction in its attempts to try to develop Notepad further, giving users options in the settings to turn the new features on and off and tailor the file types they apply to. I think this is prudent and Microsoft would do well to maintain this behavior, especially if it insists on changing and removing applications that users love and have grown accustomed to for decades. After all, Microsoft killed WordPad just a few months ago, but that doesn't mean we all want Notepad to simply replace it. Sometimes simplicity is better.
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