Microsoft Revamps Notepad with Rich Formatting and Markdown Support in Windows 11

For decades, Notepad has remained one of the most iconic and unchanged fixtures in the Windows ecosystem—a minimalist note-taking tool that, for many, represented simplicity and speed over embellishment. But in a move billed as one of the most significant updates in its storied history, Microsoft has announced the rollout of rich formatting and Markdown support in Notepad for Windows 11. This enhancement, released to Windows Insiders on May 30, 2025, represents a seismic shift in what users can expect from Notepad—and draws a sharp contrast with Microsoft’s recent decision to retire its formatting-friendly cousin, WordPad.

The Dawn of Formatted Notepad: What’s New?​

Previously confined to barebones text editing, Notepad now supports a host of features typically reserved for dedicated word processors or Markdown editors. According to an official Microsoft blog post by Dave Grochocki, principal group product manager, the new Notepad introduces “lightweight formatting capabilities... giving you more flexibility in structuring content across your files.” This means users can:

• Bold and italicize text
• Insert hyperlinks
• Create simple lists and headings
• Use Markdown-formatted input and files

A new formatting toolbar allows on-the-fly changes to the styling of text, while menus offer access to additional editing and display options. Users have the option to clear all formatting and revert documents to plain text, preserving the original feel of Notepad for those who prefer its classic, distraction-free environment.

Markdown in Notepad: Bridging the Simple and the Sophisticated​

Perhaps the most consequential change is native Markdown support. Markdown, a lightweight markup language, is favored in programming, web content creation, and note-taking for its balance of human-readability and computer-friendly formatting syntax. The inclusion of this feature recognizes Notepad’s longstanding unofficial role as a scratchpad for developers and power users needing quick, clear text manipulation without heavy dependencies.
Users can toggle between seeing rendered Markdown and the raw syntax via the View menu or a status bar switch. Crucially, this duality empowers both purists and those who value visual feedback while editing.

Seamless Migration—Or Optional Regression​

Change, even positive, is often met with a mix of excitement and trepidation. One of Microsoft’s more user-empathetic moves here is giving everyone a choice: formatting and Markdown capabilities can be enabled or disabled entirely in Notepad’s app settings. If a user, accustomed to the program’s spartan past, prefers to maintain a ‘classic’ environment, a single toggle restores the legacy behavior.
This flexibility is vital for enterprises and end-users who rely on plain text for configuration files, scripts, data manipulation, or legacy workflows. It further signals that Microsoft, while ready to innovate, remains attentive to Notepad’s broad legacy user base.

A Timeline of Notepad’s Transformation​

Microsoft’s modernization of Notepad has unfolded over several years, carefully layering new functionality:

• 2021: Initiation of Notepad’s Windows 11 redesign, focusing on Fluent UI and dark mode.
• 2023: Introduction of session management and tabbed windows.
• 2024: Arrival of AI-powered features, such as smart suggestions and text generation.
• 2025: Debut of formatting and Markdown support.

This careful, incremental approach reflects Microsoft’s lessons from past feature rollouts: feedback loops with Windows Insiders are prioritized, giving advanced users early hands-on time to stress-test and shape emerging capabilities.

Out With WordPad: Context and Community Response​

The evolution of Notepad coincides with Microsoft’s official retirement of WordPad in the Windows 11 24H2 update, a move finalized as of 2024. WordPad, long positioned between Notepad and Word, filled a peculiar role—offering basic formatting capabilities (fonts, colors, styles) yet never quite supplanting more powerful word processors or catching the simplicity of Notepad.
Media outlets, such as Windows Central, have interpreted the new Notepad features as compensation for WordPad’s demise, suggesting that many users have been requesting richer editing tools and Markdown support natively within Windows. With Notepad’s new enhancements, the gap left by WordPad’s exit is more than adequately filled, at least for those whose needs don’t exceed light editing and rapid note-taking.

Technical Analysis: Strengths, Limitations, and Caveats​

Notable Strengths​

1. Native Markdown Support​

By bringing Markdown into Notepad, Microsoft caters to the workflows of developers, writers, and technical professionals. Historically, these users relied on third-party tools or web-based editors to preview and write Markdown. Now, native integration reduces friction and aligns Notepad with modern documentation standards.

2. User-Centric Flexibility​

The ability to revert to the original Notepad, either by clearing formatting or toggling features, stands out. This design means that new features are an opt-in enhancement rather than forced evolution—a respectful nod to Notepad’s broad array of users.

3. Minimal Resource Overhead​

Early user reports, as well as Insider feedback, indicate that Notepad’s new abilities add minimal overhead in terms of memory and processing footprint. Even on older or less powerful hardware, formatted Notepad loads quickly and behaves responsively—a sharp contrast to heavier editors.

4. Accessibility and Simplicity​

Notepad’s essence—lightweight, instantly available—remains intact. Unlike Microsoft Word or even legacy WordPad, Notepad opens almost instantly, without loading extraneous features or overwhelming the user with menus and ribbons.

5. Integration with Modern Ecosystems​

Microsoft’s parallel release of “markitdown,” an open source Python tool for converting PDF and Office documents to Markdown, fosters easy movement between diverse document types. This tool, available on GitHub, allows users to bring existing docs into Notepad’s new environment with minimal fuss, sidestepping complex intermediary workflows.

Potential Risks and Concerns​

1. Increased Complexity​

Notepad’s beauty has always been its simplicity. The addition of toolbars, toggles, and even Markdown preview modes threatens to clutter an interface many love precisely because of its plainness. New users or those with accessibility needs may find the extra controls daunting, even with opt-out mechanisms.

2. Ambiguity Between Simple and Rich Formats​

The line between plain text and formatted text is now blurred. There is some risk that users may inadvertently save documents with formatting, breaking compatibility with systems or scripts expecting strict plain text. While the revert function is helpful, accidents are inevitable in widespread deployments.

3. Markdown Implementation Scope​

Initial reviews highlight that Notepad’s Markdown rendering, while robust, does not support every extension or flavor of Markdown. Users accustomed to more feature-complete editors, or those relying on GFM (GitHub Flavored Markdown), may find certain advanced syntax forms or plugins unsupported.

4. Overlap with Third-Party Tools​

A plethora of powerful Markdown editors (Typora, MarkText, Visual Studio Code plugins, etc.) already exist, many open source and highly customizable. Notepad, even with Markdown, is unlikely to compete at the highest tiers of this ecosystem. Users needing deep integration, real-time collaboration, or advanced export may still look elsewhere.

Security and Data Integrity​

Any increase in app capability introduces potential surface area for bugs and vulnerabilities. While no major exploits have been publicly reported as of this writing, Microsoft’s ongoing commitment to releasing these updates in the Canary and Dev Insider channels ensures rapid detection and response to any emergent issues. Given Notepad’s new ability to work with hyperlinks and rendered content, prudent system administrators may wish to restrict or inventory usage in highly sensitive environments.

Broader Implications for the Windows Ecosystem​

Shift Toward Unified, Modern Tools​

The update reflects Microsoft’s focus on converging utility and usability across its default apps. Rather than bifurcating lightweight and rich editing between Notepad and WordPad, Microsoft is concentrating on providing modular flexibility in a single place.

Potential for Future Integrations​

With the inclusion of AI features in recent Notepad versions, one can imagine future cross-pollination: intelligent Markdown formatting, auto-formatting of code snippets, live spellchecking, or cloud storage integration. Such innovations could position Notepad at the heart of a new wave of productivity enhancements for Windows.

Competitive Pressure​

Microsoft’s investment in Notepad mirrors the rising profile of open source and third-party text editors in both professional and casual workflows. By bringing essential features in-house, Microsoft reduces the need for external downloads—though it risks criticism if updates ever become intrusive or unremovable.

Early User Impressions and Community Feedback​

Initial community responses have been largely positive. On the Windows Insider forums and across tech blogs, users celebrate the newfound utility without sacrificing performance. Some early testers have lauded the Markdown preview as “snappy and clear,” with the formatting bar “easy to toggle on and off.” Several voices, however, still pine for WordPad’s unique mix of RTF support and basic desktop publishing tools—a reminder that no single design can please all.
The option to restore legacy Notepad or simply switch off formatting means that most criticisms center on implementation details (feature completeness, keyboard shortcuts, etc.) rather than the concept itself.

How to Access and Use the New Notepad​

As of June 2025, the enhanced Notepad is rolling out to Windows Insiders in the Canary and Dev channels, specifically in version 11.2504.50.0. To try the new features:

• Join the Windows Insider Program and select the appropriate channel.
• Update the Notepad app via the Microsoft Store or Windows Update.
• Launch Notepad and explore the new formatting toolbar.
• Use “View” or the status bar switch to toggle Markdown preview and syntax modes.
• Flip back to classic Notepad in Settings if desired.
• Download “markitdown” from Microsoft’s GitHub repository to convert existing PDFs or Office documents into Markdown for seamless editing.

The End of an Era, and the Start of a New One​

Microsoft’s choice to sunset WordPad while revitalizing Notepad is both bold and pragmatic. At a time when more users expect native apps to deliver both speed and power, the reimagined Notepad feels like a step toward meeting contemporary productivity needs without overwhelming users.
Feedback from early adopters—ranging from technical praise to cautious optimism—suggests Microsoft has struck a fine balance. The cautious rollout process, especially through the Insider program, indicates sensitivity to user feedback and stability.

Conclusion: A Notepad for the Modern Age​

Notepad’s journey from bare-bones note-taker to a powerful Markdown-enabled platform underscores Microsoft’s evolving philosophy on default software. By empowering users to move between simplicity and structure, the new Notepad is set to be a reliable companion for coders, writers, and everyday users alike. While some risks linger—chief among them the danger of overcomplicating a beloved tool—the flexibility and respect for legacy usage patterns suggest Microsoft is moving carefully.
In an era when lightweight, privacy-first, and immediately available tools are cherished, the new Notepad stands out not by abandoning its roots, but by finally acknowledging the complex ways we work, write, and record our digital lives. Whether you’re jotting quick notes or scripting your next technical masterpiece, Notepad’s best days may be just ahead.

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Source: GIGAZINE Windows 11 Notepad finally supports formatting and Markdown, and you can switch back to the original Notepad in Settings