"Microsoft is shoveling yet more features into the venerable Windows Notepad. This time it's support for tables, with some AI enhancements lathered on top. Notepad might predate Windows, but Microsoft is still keen to add features to it. After adding support for Markdown in June, replete with simple text formatting options, Microsoft has now added table support. The new functionality is rolling out to Windows Insiders in the Canary and Dev channels."
"Summarize, Write, and Rewrite were made available to Insiders on Copilot+ PCs without a Microsoft subscription in September. However, users had to wait for the AI tools. The update introduces streaming result responses. "Results will start to appear quicker without the need to wait for the full response, providing a preview sooner that you can interact with," the company said. Users will still need a Copilot+ PC or sign in with a Microsoft account."
"We're not sure who was clamoring for this feature, which, to be frank, would be better suited to a rich text editor. Microsoft already had one of those - WordPad - but removed it from Windows in 2024. It's difficult to understand where Microsoft is going with Notepad. Earlier this year, it revived the DOS-era Edit tool, which seems at odds with Microsoft's direction. Aggressively lightweight, free of AI fripperies, and laser-focused on being good at one thing - editing text."
Notepad now supports inserting tables and previously added Markdown formatting. The table feature is rolling out to Windows Insiders in the Canary and Dev channels. Summarize, Write, and Rewrite AI tools became available to Insiders on Copilot+ PCs without a Microsoft subscription in September, and the update adds streaming result responses so previews appear sooner. Users still need a Copilot+ PC or to sign in with a Microsoft account. WordPad was removed from Windows in 2024 while the DOS-era Edit tool was revived earlier this year. Some users say Notepad has drifted from its original lightweight, single-purpose editing role.
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