Notepad was already set to see a major refresh for Windows 11, not least in terms of becoming an optional app for Microsoft’s latest release.
According to the screenshots, the new Windows 11 app will be getting a similar design change to mirror many of the new platform’s tools, with rounded corners on the app window, menus, and pop-up notifications.
The leak also appeared to show that Notepad will be getting new icons, animations and a dedicated settings page, rather than the latter being hidden in the Help menu. The Settings page will allow users to choose and change the theme for the app (including dark mode), as well as the font setting (style, family and size) and certain parts of the file editing experience – allowing more file types to be accessible.
The app is also set to become a separate Store-updateable application, with its own section and page on the Microsoft Store, meaning users can download and update Notepad whenever they choose, and also that Notepad users will be able to receive new features and upgrades automatically via the Microsoft Store as soon as they are available, rather than needing to wait for new additions to be bundled with a wider Windows OS update.