Microsoft quietly introduced an upgraded Notepad application with integrated spellchecking back in March of this year. The tech giant has now rolled out this enhanced version of the Notepad plain text editor to traditional Windows 11.
Windows Notepad made its debut in 1983 and has remained relatively unchanged for many years. However, recent updates have brought some significant improvements to this long-standing application. Windows 10 introduced much-needed enhancements to Notepad in July 2018, including text zooming, wrap-around find/replace, and performance improvements for handling large files.
Notable Upgrades with Windows 11
With the launch of Windows 11 in late 2021, additional upgrades were made to Notepad. New features such as auto-save/session restore, a tabbed interface for managing multiple files, and dark mode compatibility were among the notable improvements.
The latest addition to Notepad is a built-in spellchecking feature, allowing users to easily correct spelling errors. Misspelled words will be highlighted with red squiggly lines, providing users with a quick way to identify and correct errors.
Users have the option to customize the spell check and autocorrect settings in the spelling correction menu. Some users can even disable spell checking for specific file types, offering a more tailored experience.
Feature Creep Concerns
While the updates to Windows Notepad have been well-received by users, there is a concern about feature creep. With WordPad being discontinued in Windows 11 after 28 years of service, Microsoft is encouraging users to utilize either Notepad or Word for their text processing needs.
The addition of the spellchecking feature to Notepad is considered a premium tool, providing users with a valuable and unexpected enhancement to this classic application.
