Notepad won its loyal following by being a lightweight, no-frills application. However, Windows 11’s Notepad app is now adding new features, a move that hasn’t pleased everyone. Windows Insiders in the Canary and Dev Channels can test two new experimental features for Notepad, as announced recently by Microsoft in a blog post.
One key update expands Notepad’s lightweight formatting capabilities to include tables. Users with access to these experimental features can insert tables directly into documents to better organize their notes. This can be done either via a formatting toolbar or by using Markdown syntax. This table feature builds on earlier formatting enhancements introduced in May, which added support for bold, italics, hyperlinks, lists, and headings.
More controversially, Notepad has started integrating AI capabilities. The app now supports streaming responses when using its AI-powered Write, Rewrite, and Summarize tools, making responses appear more quickly. While faster performance is usually welcomed, many users express resistance to the presence of AI in Notepad, emphasizing they prefer the app’s original simplicity.
The backlash is clear in online forums, where users lament the increasing “feature bloat.” One Reddit user questioned why Notepad can’t remain the fast, efficient tool it historically was, while others joke that Microsoft is phasing out WordPad by gradually adding its features into Notepad. This sentiment reflects a broader “AI fatigue,” with many feeling that AI tools are being inserted unnecessarily into apps where they may not be wanted.
