text editor Archives

Winsage

August 17, 2025

Windows 11 cluttered Notepad’s right-click menu, but it’s now getting File Explorer-like UI as a fix

Microsoft is testing a new, streamlined user interface for Notepad's right-click context menu to address overcrowding caused by recent enhancements, including Copilot features. The existing menu has become unwieldy, featuring numerous options that can overwhelm users, particularly on smaller screens. The new design prioritizes common actions like cut, copy, paste, select all, undo, and delete in a single row with large icons, while retaining some less frequently used options. Additionally, Notepad now supports markdown formatting, allowing users to apply lightweight formatting such as bold and italics easily, with the option to toggle the formatting toolbar off for a simpler interface.

AppWizard

July 25, 2025

You can finally run Doom and other graphical apps in Android’s Linux Terminal

The July 2025 Android Canary build of the Linux Terminal app introduces the ability to run graphical Linux applications, allowing users to interact with a graphical interface via a new “Display” button. By typing ‘weston’, users can access a graphical environment with Weston preinstalled. Users can also enable hardware acceleration by creating an empty file named virglrenderer in the /sdcard/linux directory, which enhances performance for running demanding Linux software. The feature is currently available in the Canary build, with speculation about its rollout to Beta or Stable channels in the second quarterly release of Android 16, expected in December.

Winsage

July 7, 2025

You can now make text bold or italic in Notepad — hell has frozen over

Notepad, a text editor in Windows since 1983, has received an update that introduces lightweight formatting features, including a formatting toolbar for applying text styles like bold and italic. The update also adds Markdown support and syntax views. These changes aim to enhance user experience while maintaining the app's simplicity. Microsoft announced these features in May, initially rolling them out to Windows Insiders before making them available to all users.

Winsage

July 2, 2025

Microsoft just gave the Windows 11 Notepad app a controversial feature that people are either loving or hating

Windows 11's Notepad app has received an update that introduces new formatting capabilities, making it more similar to the retired WordPad. Users are receiving this update through the Microsoft Store for the stable version of Windows 11. Reactions to the update are mixed; some users appreciate the enhancements, while others feel that Notepad is becoming bloated with unnecessary features. Microsoft has included a toggle feature that allows users to disable the new formatting options, enabling them to revert to the traditional Notepad experience.

Winsage

June 27, 2025

So Long, Blue Screen of Death. Amazingly, You’ll Be Missed

Microsoft plans to retire the Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) in Windows 11, replacing it with a minimalist "unexpected restart screen" that will feature a black background and a single message: “Your device ran into a problem and needs to restart.” The redesign is part of the Windows Resiliency Initiative aimed at enhancing system robustness and clarity. The BSOD originated from Windows NT 3.1 in 1993, where it displayed a wall of white text on a blue background. The change follows a significant incident in 2024 where a problematic update caused widespread issues, prompting Microsoft to distance itself from the iconic blue screen.

Winsage

June 27, 2025

Microsoft is just turning Notepad into WordPad at this point, and I’m not sure I like it

Microsoft has phased out WordPad from Windows 11 as of 2024. Notepad has undergone updates that introduced a modern user interface, tab support, and autosave features, but concerns have arisen about it losing its simplicity due to new features like spellchecking and AI capabilities. Microsoft plans to release Edit, a command line-based text editor, to provide a straightforward alternative for users. Alternatives to Notepad include Notepad++ and CherryTree, which offer more advanced features.

AppWizard

June 7, 2025

8 things you must try with the Linux Terminal app on your Android phone

Google introduced Linux Terminal support integrated into Android for Pixel users running the latest stable version of the operating system. The terminal operates within a virtual machine, ensuring separation from core device functions. A recent poll showed that 24% of users have enabled the Linux Terminal app, 51% are considering it, 10% do not want it, and 15% have phones that do not support it. Key commands include "help" for available commands and "man" for manual pages. Users can install system information tools like neofetch and htop, as well as terminal games such as Bastet, Pacman4console, Moon-Buggy, nsnake, and ninvaders. SSH can be installed for network device control, and text editor nano can be used for note-taking. Users can also install cmatrix for a Matrix-like display and stress testing tools. Nyan Cat can be displayed in the terminal as well. Future plans include full-scale Linux apps in Android’s desktop mode.

Winsage

June 5, 2025

Microsoft is adding a simpler text editor than Notepad to Windows 11 soon

Microsoft is enhancing Notepad following the discontinuation of WordPad and is introducing a new text editor called Edit for Windows 11, which operates within the Command Prompt. Edit is a compact tool that resembles the classic MS-DOS Editor and has a contemporary interface similar to Visual Studio Code, occupying 230KB of disk space. Users can launch Edit by typing "edit" in the Command Prompt, allowing basic text file editing without advanced features like text formatting or AI summaries. Currently, files cannot be saved directly in Edit; users must copy text to other applications for finalization. Edit is in development and can only be accessed through manual installation from GitHub, with plans to make it the default text editor for command line use in the future.

Winsage

June 3, 2025

Windows 11 news and updates: Sora video AI comes to Bing while USB-C changes will make all of our lives easier

Microsoft has made adjustments to Windows 11 and Windows 10 to comply with the Digital Markets Act for users in the European Economic Area, including stopping prompts to set Edge as the default browser and automatically pinning users' preferred browsers to the Taskbar. The optional update KB5058499 (OS Build 26100.4202) for Windows 11, released on May 28, 2025, improves gaming stability and includes upgrades to AI tools. OpenAI's Sora AI model is now available globally in the Bing Video Creator within the Bing mobile app. Notepad has added support for Markdown syntax. Microsoft has committed that all USB-C ports on Windows 11 will support data, charging, and display functionalities, with USB4 ports being compatible with Thunderbolt 3 and USB4 peripherals. The release date for Windows 11 version 25H2 is anticipated between September and October 2025.

Winsage

June 2, 2025

Notepad gets formatting options

Microsoft has updated Notepad to include new text formatting options, such as bold and italic styles, hyperlinks, and the ability to format lists and headings. This update began rolling out at the end of last month and is currently being tested with Windows Insiders in the Dev and Canary channels. The new features support Markdown-style input, allowing users to toggle between formatted Markdown and syntax views. Users can disable formatting entirely in the app settings to maintain the traditional Notepad experience. The update has raised concerns among users who relied on Notepad for stripping formatting from pasted text, as the new options may complicate this process. Microsoft has not yet responded to inquiries about user demand for these changes or the possibility of reverting to the original Notepad experience. The decision to enhance Notepad comes after the removal of WordPad from Windows in 2024.