Tabs are coming to Notepad in future Windows 11 update - but what’s next?
Won’t someone think of the tabs?
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If you’ve been waiting for tabs to arrive in Notepad, similar to File Explorer in a recentWindows 11update, then you’re in luck.
According toWindows Latest,Microsoftwas working on this back in 2019 forWindows 10, but was shelved. However, withtabs in File Exploreralready helping plenty of users and their workflow, mine included, it makes sense to have this feature in Notepad as well.
It may arrive in the next’Moment' update, which is Microsoft’s next attempt at rolling out smaller improvements toWindows 11every few months, before the major update at the end of the year.
Yet, with tabs now in two of Microsoft’s well-known apps, what else could benefit?
Taking a tab
I remember first using tabs inMozilla’s Firefoxbrowser – it was a big selling point for it at the time, as Internet Explorer 6 was still a one-window browser. Nowadays, I’m using tabs everywhere, fromAdobe Photoshopto switch between different projects, and the Finder app onmacOSto switch between different folders.
I can see tabs making sense in Microsoft’s other apps – Paint could be a good candidate, so you can switch between your different masterpieces for example, while Calendar could be another great choice if you’re signed up to multiple calendars, and you don’t want them all to look cluttered in one view.
However, Notepad is a strange one to have tabs soon, as the app has always been about simplicity. You open the app, and you’re immediately brought to a blank page where you can start writing down your thoughts, or your novel. It’s always been an app for me to jot some thoughts down, especially before Notes on my iPhone replaced this function for me.
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It’s still a great, free alternative to Microsoft Word onOffice 365if you needed to just write something and not worry about the formatting. And I believe, for now anyway, that tabs won’t cheapen the app, it’ll just make it more useful for productivity.
Daryl had been freelancing for 3 years before joining TechRadar, now reporting on everything software-related. In his spare time, he’s written a book, ‘The Making of Tomb Raider’. His second book, ‘50 Years of Boss Fights’, came out in 2024, with a third book coming in 2025. He also has a newsletter called ‘Springboard’. He’s usually found playing games old and new on his Steam Deck, Nintendo Switch, and MacBook Pro. If you have a story about an updated app, one that’s about to launch, or just anything Software-related, drop him a line.
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