Microsoft is finally adding spellcheck and autocorrect to its Notepad app in Windows 11. This update comes more than 40 years after the text editor was first introduced in 1983. The company started testing these features in March and has now quietly enabled them for all Windows 11 users.
Spellcheck Feature
The spellcheck in Notepad works similarly to Word or Edge, highlighting misspelled words with a red underline. However, in Notepad, the spelling submenu isn’t automatically expanded when you right-click on a misspelled word. You need to click again to see the correct spellings.
Comparison with Word
It’s surprising that Microsoft hasn’t fully adopted the way spellcheck works in Word. During the beta testing phase, the company showed the ability to right-click and instantly select the correction in Notepad. Microsoft Word had its first spellcheck feature in 1985 when it was known as Multi-Tool Word for Xenix and MS-DOS systems. Notepad, first known as Multi-Tool Notepad in 1983, was created to be a stripped-down version of Word.
Customization Options
You can enable or disable spellcheck on a file type basis in Notepad for Windows 11. If you don’t want to see corrections in files like .md, .srt, .lrc, or .lic, you can toggle these in the settings menu. Spellcheck is also disabled automatically in log files and other coding-related file types. Autocorrect is also added to Notepad, correcting typos automatically when spellcheck is enabled. You can disable autocorrect in Notepad’s settings.
Additional Features
Microsoft has been gradually adding features to Notepad for Windows 11. These include character count, dark mode, tabs, Copilot integration, and even a virtual fidget spinner. These updates come just in time for the company to remove the built-in WordPad app from Windows 11 later this year.
Conclusion
These updates make Notepad more functional and user-friendly. With features like spellcheck, autocorrect, and customization options, Notepad is becoming a more powerful tool for users.
