We got Markdown in Notepad before GTA VI

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As a dedicated fan, I’m thrilled to share that one of Microsoft’s classic apps, the trusty old Notepad from 1983, is about to receive an exciting upgrade! It’s going to embrace lightweight formatting and even support Markdown, making it more powerful and user-friendly than ever before.

Participants in the Development (Dev) and Canary Channels of the Windows Insider program have been given the opportunity to try out the latest features, as revealed in a recent blog post by Microsoft.

In Notepad‘s formatting bar, users known as Insiders can style chosen text by using various options such as making the text bold or italicized, adding hyperlinks, creating bullet points or numbered lists, and setting up different headings.

In Notepad, there’s an option to erase all formatting. Additionally, the ‘View’ menu offers a choice to toggle between the Markdown with formatting and plain Markdown syntax modes. If desired, you can even turn off formatting altogether.

Controversial Notepad updates

The latest version of Notepad, introduced by Microsoft, is facing fewer disputes compared to when it began incorporating AI functionalities such as Rewrite, Summarize, and Write earlier in the year.

For many years, Notepad has consistently offered a minimalistic design. One of its key characteristics is its simplicity, which stems from having fewer built-in functionalities.

When Microsoft first began trials of AI elements within Notepad, followed by an official announcement, there were numerous expressions of disapproval.

Hey there! That item is actually on my list too! It seems we both have it in our ‘ThingsNotRequired.txt’,” said Reddit user TheOmni, adding humor to the discussion about your post on the topic.

In the same discussion, khaffner91 expressed a desire for something straightforward – a text box that pops up immediately when needed, as if saying, “Boy, all I’m asking for is an instant-opening text field.

It’s likely that users will find Markdown support and lighter formatting options more favorable in Notepad. In truth, there’s a strong demand for these features within the app, and many users have turned to other programs that offer Notepad functionality with built-in Markdown support as an alternative.

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2025-05-31 16:39