Microsoft’s humble Notepad, renowned for its simplicity, has amassed a considerable following over the years, owing to its widespread availability. Today marks a significant milestone as it introduces a feature deemed essential by writers worldwide: spell check. This much-requested functionality is now integrated into the latest Windows 11 Insider build.
Originally debuting prior to the inception of Windows itself, Notepad traces its roots back to the Multi-Tool Notepad program featured in the MS-DOS update of 1983. Even then, it served as a leaner and more resource-efficient alternative to Microsoft Word, further enhanced by its inclusion as a complimentary component of the operating system. Since its inception, it has remained a constant fixture in every iteration of Windows.
As detailed on the Windows Insider blog, the spell check feature operates in a manner familiar to users, highlighting typos and misspelled words with a distinctive red squiggly line. Upon detection, users can easily access alternative suggestions by left-clicking or navigating through identified errors using Shift + F10. Furthermore, users retain the flexibility to toggle spell check functionality for various file types.
While not all users of the latest Windows Insider build (11.2402.18.0) will immediately receive the updated Notepad version due to ongoing A-B testing, it’s anticipated that subsequent release versions of the enhanced text editor will gradually roll out to all Windows 11 builds before the close of the year.