Windows 11 began rolling out in the last week of June but as we pointed out in our previous articles, Windows 11 is a work-in-progress. Microsoft is still trying to redesign some other aspects of the operating system, such as Windows Media Player, Paint, and now Notepad.
Microsoft is working on a redesigned Notepad for Windows 11 and the first preview of the app is now rolling out via the Microsoft Store in the Dev Channel. When you update to the new Notepad, you will notice an updated UI that aligns with Windows 11’s Fluent and Mica design.
Notepad now supports rounded corners, Mica, and WinUI/Fluent Design controls. This modern design is built on top of the classic app, so the experience would be familiar but it will match the look and feel of Windows 11.
Windows 11’s Notepad features updated drop-down menus which include three options – File, Edit, and View. On the other hand, Windows 10’s version includes two additional options – Format and Help. Microsoft has moved the format and help options into a new settings page.
The File and Edit drop-down menus contain all the options available in the existing Notepad.
You can open a new window, modify the page’s setup, and more. Likewise, Edit drop-down menu includes various options like undo, cut, copy, paste and more. Rounded corners, which are a design feature in Windows 11, are visible too.
New features in Notepad for Windows 11
This new Notepad app comes with a dedicated settings page. You can visit the settings page to change the file editing experience by switching between different font sizes and font styles from the dropdown menu.
You can even switch between dark and light mode, or you keep using the default mode which will automatically apply the system-wide personalization settings.
Microsoft has also made improvements to text editing and rendering. For example, there’s a new “Find on page” tool and Microsoft has added support for multi-level undo. Likewise, new text rendering should improve support for dark mode and next-generation fonts.
At the moment, it is not possible to return back to the classic Notepad experience.
That said, it is important to understand Notepad for Windows 11 is still under development and the overall experience is slightly buggy.
Notepad will exit preview in early 2022.
