Notepad

Notepad
	Component of Microsoft Windows
	Notepad in Windows 11 2024 Update
File name/executable	notepad.exe
Type	Text editing program
Included in	Windows 1.0 and later

Notepad is the default text editor of Microsoft Windows. Since the app's debut appearance in Windows 1.0, it became a part of the Windows Accessories.

An app with a nearly identical name is included in early versions of macOS. However, it is more similar to Sticky Notes.

History[edit | edit source]

Development[edit | edit source]

The earliest version of Notepad we know of may appear in the Windows 1.0 Personal Computer News 1983-12-01 build, then known simply as "Text". It sported a much more sophisticated user interface with two rows of menu options when maximized and, going by the "Format" menuitem, the Text program may have also been an early version of Write instead, or the two programs may simply have been one at this point.

The 1984-02-22 build removed the menu from the Text program, simplifying the program.

By the DR5 build, the program has been renamed to Notepad, alongside having its File and Edit menus added. At this time, however, the title bar of the application simply displayed the edited file name, or if the user was editing a brand new file, "(untitled)". This was changed by the Beta Release to now say "Notepad - " before the file name.

The Beta Release also added a new search functionality to Notepad, making its menu now resemble the final version.

Windows 1.0 and 2.0[edit | edit source]

With the release of Windows 1.0, Notepad gained an icon, which it didn't have in the Premiere Edition.

Windows 2.x introduced overlapping windows, and while the TILED_WINDOW style, which was used in Windows 1.0, is the same as OVERLAPPED_WINDOW, the style used from 2.0 onwards, it's safe to assume the Notepad program, as well as all programs bundled with Windows, had its window style updated in the call to CreateWindow().

Windows 3.x[edit | edit source]

Windows 3.0 build 33 moves the Help option out onto the main window. Build 55 included a new icon for Notepad, as well as adding a "Characters in File" field in the About dialog. Windows 3.1x introduced a new about dialog in SHELL.DLL, that replaced the older about dialogs and unified all programs' about dialogs.

Windows NT 3.x[edit | edit source]

Windows NT 3.1 introduces a new 32-bit version of Notepad.

Windows 9x[edit | edit source]

Windows 95 build 73f makes the Notepad icon grayscale, which would be reverted by the RTM build. It also introduces a new 32-bit version of Notepad.

Windows 98 introduces a way to change the font.

Windows XP[edit | edit source]

Windows XP changed Notepad's icon to fit its new Luna visual style. The default font has also been changed from System to Lucida Console.

Windows Vista[edit | edit source]

Windows Vista changed Notepad's icon to fit its new Aero visual style.

Windows 10[edit | edit source]

The Windows 10 October 2018 Update included the first updates to Notepad since Windows Vista, which added Bing search integration, zoom functionality, and the Ctrl+← Backspace keyboard shortcut (which deletes the previous word).

May 2019 Update build 18298 added an asterisk (*) to title bar to show whether changes to the document had been saved or not:

When an asterisk is shown, the changes have not been saved yet.
When changes are saved, it goes away.

Cobalt build 21337 and later would come with the Microsoft Store version of Notepad pre-installed, which moved it out of the "Windows Accessories" folder and into the main app list in Start.

Windows 11[edit | edit source]

Around the time Windows 11 was officially released, Microsoft had teased a visual refresh for Notepad. It would later be released to Windows Insiders on the Dev Channel on 7 December 2021, followed by a public release on 16 February 2022. Notable change to new version of Notepad include:

An XAML-based user interface, which aligns with the Fluent design language of Windows 11
Support for dark mode
Redesigned find and replace interface
New Settings page for changing themes and fonts
Support for files up to 1 GB in size
A new, refreshed Notepad icon

On 19 January 2023, Microsoft began rolling out an update to Windows Insiders which added tab support to the application. It would officially be released on 28 February 2023, alongside the Moment 2 update of Windows 11 2022 Update.