Microsoft shovels more features into Windows 11's Notepad — but isn't it time the company focused on fixing things instead?

Notepad gets new features — including a dash more AI — but I'm betting this isn't what most Windows 11 users want

News By Darren Allan published 22 January 2026

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• Windows 11's Notepad app has some new features in testing
• These include a new AI twist and fresh formatting powers
• It's unfortunate timing, as Notepad has been hit by a new bug in Windows 11, highlighting issues around what Microsoft should really be focusing on

Users of the iconic Notepad app fall into two camps: those who are pleased Microsoft is building up the Windows 11 app with new features, and those who hate that line of development, and consider it to be bloating the software. Should you fall in the latter camp, you won't like the fact that Notepad is getting more capabilities, and Paint is, too.

Windows Central noticed that Microsoft revealed new versions of both of these apps in testing, with Notepad getting some additional formatting powers, as well as a new 'welcome experience' and an extra dash of AI.

On the formatting front, Notepad is getting nested lists – indented subcategories within lists – and a strikethrough capability (drawing a line through text, meaning crossing something out).

The new welcome experience is a panel that pops up detailing the latest changes in Notepad, so you know what's been recently added (or tacked on since you last launched the app).

And finally, the AI change in Notepad is for the Write, Rewrite, and Summarize features, which will now start a preview of the response the AI is providing in a faster manner. In short, you'll be able to begin reading the AI's output more quickly.

As for Windows 11's Paint app, the main change here is the new coloring book, which is again an AI feature, one that allows you to create one such book based on a theme.

So, if you want to create a coloring book about, say, flying space whales zooming through the solar system (why not?), you can ask the AI to knock one up, and it'll create the various pages.

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