Highlights
- Notepad spellcheck finally added after 41 years, satisfying long-time user demand for essential feature.
- Limited by lack of major text editing options, Notepad remains useful for unmodified text input like coding.
- Change likely due to WordPad's discontinuation, users encouraged to try revamped Notepad before switch.
After being a part of the Windows operating system for 41 years, Notepad is finally getting a new spellcheck feature that users have been demanding for nearly as long as the app has existed. This is one of the first major overhauls to the Windows Notepad program since it was first introduced back in 1983.
Notepad is one of those apps that most Windows users will at least be aware of, but may not have frequent use for. It's a simple text editor, so it lacks major features, like most text formatting options, and can't do things like bullet point lists. It is still helpful in some instances, like when someone needs to record text without any modifications being made to it, like while working with code. However, there are far more useful code text editors that offer features that Notepad also lacks. With this change, though, more users may be trying Windows Notepad out.
The new Notepad spellcheck feature is rolling out to Windows 11 users now. The spellcheck feature was in beta testing earlier this year, and is now available for all audiences starting with version 11.2405.13.0. The spellcheck feature works as one would expect, with the program underlining any text that it believes is spelled incorrectly. Clicking on the underlined text will tell the user what the word should be replaced with. The program is also getting autocorrect, in case writers want to trust Notepad to make the fixes automatically. Both features can be disabled, if the Windows user doesn't want their screen populated with red squiggles or their text changed without their permission.
Why Change Windows Notepad Now?
Some Windows users may be wondering why Microsoft would want to change a program that's been largely untouched for four decades. It's likely tied into the company's plans to discontinue WordPad in the near future. The more feature-rich of the two free included text editors is being phased out by the end of the year. Rather than just ending its update cycle, the program is being removed entirely from Windows 11 PCs. Those who have grown accustomed to using WordPad may want to give Notepad a try so that the adjustment doesn't come as a shock once the program is removed.
Of course, there are now many free downloadable alternatives to both Notepad and WordPad that are full of helpful features. Microsoft's Word isn't going anywhere, either. It's an interesting choice on Microsoft's part to go back to the original Notepad and upgrade it, rather than its more feature-rich cousin WordPad. The reception to this change will likely vary wildly depending on the user, as some PC users don't have much need for simple word processing programs. Nonetheless, as Windows moves into the future, it's the end of an era for a classic.
