Microsoft's next update to Notepad will provide native table support and result streaming for built-in AI text features. This is a significant step and continues to push the classic text editor away from its simple and lightweight roots, which is not what you want.
The biggest visual change in this update is the expanded simplified formatting, which now includes native support for tables. If you've ever needed to quickly organize a document or create a simple checklist that requires columns, you haven't immediately thought of Notepad—until now.
You can insert tables using the new Table option in the formatting toolbar, or, if you prefer the old approach, you can use standard Markdown syntax directly in the text. Once you've created a table, you can quickly edit it by adding or removing rows and columns using the right-click context menu or the dedicated Table menu in the toolbar.
This allows you to structure notes and basic documentation much more effectively than trying to line up spaces and tabs. However, this is Notepad, which was designed to be a lightweight, easy-to-use application that keeps text simple.
The second major feature centers on the existing artificial intelligence bloat that Microsoft is integrating into Notepad. The company is adding AI to help you write, rewrite, and summarize text tools by inputting streaming responses to the results. Instead of waiting for a full summary or rewrite to be created all at once, the results will now begin to appear word by word. This makes the whole process much faster and more responsive, giving you a preview that you can interact with immediately.
These new features have some significant requirements and limitations, but don't worry, this only applies to the AI. To use any of the AI-powered tools, you need to sign in with a Microsoft account. Additionally, improved streaming support for the rewrite feature is currently limited to Copilot+ computers only, meaning results must be generated locally on the device.
It's clear that Microsoft is completely missing the point of Notepad. People didn't use it for functions; it is used to escape functions. For decades, Notepad served as a quick and simple program that you could instantly open to temporarily save a generated password, take a quick note, or view any ASCII data without using a large word processor.
By adding formatting, toolbars, and especially the mandatory login for AI features, Microsoft turns the app into a bloated mess. In fact, it looks more like WordPad, which Microsoft removed. Essentially, Notepad replaces WordPad. All this new code may even make it slower and less reliable.
Microsoft is gradually rolling out this new version to Insiders in the Canary and Dev channels, but the company is actively collecting feedback through the Feedback Hub. So if this pisses you off, now is your chance to voice your opinion on the idea.
I don't like the idea that Notepad is just a “mini-Word”, but it seems like we can't escape the AI ​​bloat and conflation that Microsoft is using to justify its own course.
Source: Windows Insider Blog
