Microsoft starts rolling out redesigned Notepad for Windows 11

Microsoft has started rolling out the new and wholly redesigned Notepad for Windows 11 to all Windows Insiders in the Dev Channel.

Redmond first teased the new app design in June via screenshots shared before the official launch to show off Windows 11's changes to native apps' interface.

The company also uploaded a short teaser video with a closer look at upcoming improvements, including user experience updates.

"First, you will notice a completely updated UI that aligns with the new visual design of Windows 11, including rounded corners, Mica, and more," said today Dave Grochocki, Microsoft's Principal Program Manager Lead for Windows Inbox Apps.

"Productivity, performance, and reliability are paramount in Notepad. Regardless of how you incorporate Notepad into your workflows, we will ensure that Notepad continues to excel in those areas."

The find and replace user interface also received a complete redesign in the new Notepad version and added support for multi-level undo, one of the top features requested by Insiders.

The updated Notepad now also comes with a dark theme. While Notepad will match the current OS-wide theme preferences, you can manually switch to the new dark mode from the app's Settings page.

However, Microsoft is still ironing out all the kinks and working on fixing bugs affecting scrolling and input language switching.

"In the preview version we are releasing today, there are a number of known issues that we will be addressing in future updates," Grochocki added.

"This includes issues affecting keyboard access keys usage for when switching between different input languages or while using Japanese IME, and under certain circumstances, you may notice unexpected behavior when using shift-click to select text or when scrolling."

Microsoft is also continuing to increase performance when opening very large files with the new Notepad app.

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