Notepad in Windows 11 Gets Spellcheck and Autocorrect Features
For decades, Notepad has been a simple yet essential text editor in Windows. However, with the upcoming release of Windows 11, Notepad is set to become more useful with the addition of spellcheck and autocorrect features. These new capabilities will first be available to users in the Windows Insiders program through the Beta and Release Preview Channels.
Microsoft has announced that misspelled words will now be highlighted with a red underline, allowing users to easily identify errors. By clicking, tapping, or using the Shift + F10 keyboard shortcut, users can access a list of suggestions to correct the misspelled word. Additionally, users have the option to ignore a highlighted word and add it to a personal dictionary to prevent future flagging as a misspelling.
While these new features may concern some coders who heavily rely on Notepad for programming projects, Microsoft has strategically limited the default activation of spellcheck and autocorrect to specific file types. According to the company, these features will be “off by default in log files and other file types commonly associated with coding.” Users will also have the ability to customize which file types utilize these features through the app’s settings.
It is speculated that Microsoft delayed implementing these features in Notepad due to its reliance on Microsoft Office, particularly Microsoft Word, as a significant revenue driver. As a result, it is unlikely that Notepad will receive additional advanced features beyond spellcheck and autocorrect.
Microsoft has not provided a specific timeline for the wider release of spellcheck and autocorrect in Notepad, indicating that it will evaluate user feedback before making these features available to all users.
