Microsoft’s Notepad has long been a staple of the Windows operating system — simple, lightweight, and reliable. For decades, it has served as a go-to text editor for quick notes, code snippets, logs, and more. However, with the latest updates to Windows 11, Microsoft has begun introducing formatting features into Notepad that many users feel are unnecessary and detrimental to its original purpose.
📝 What’s New (and Annoying) in Notepad?
In recent versions of Windows 11 (especially starting from version 23H2), Microsoft has added features like:
- Rich Text Format (RTF) support by default
- Font selection and size options
- Text alignment tools
- Bold, italic, underline buttons
While these may seem like enhancements, they deviate from Notepad’s core design principle: plain text editing only.
❌ Why This Change Is Frustrating
1. Notepad Is No Longer Minimalist
Many users choose Notepad because it’s fast, clean, and doesn’t distract with toolbars or formatting. Now, it feels bloated and more like WordPad.
“I just want to open a file and type — not deal with fonts.” – Longtime Notepad user
2. Compatibility Issues
If you’re used to working with log files, scripts, or plain .txt documents, unexpected formatting can cause issues. Even worse, saving as .txt won’t always strip out formatting — leading to confusion.
3. UI Clutter
The new ribbon-style toolbar takes up space and adds visual noise. Many power users prefer keyboard shortcuts or minimal menus.
New Notepad UI with formatting tools (credit: Microsoft)
🔧 How to Revert to Classic Notepad (Workarounds)
Although Microsoft hasn’t provided an official way to disable formatting features, there are several workarounds you can try.
✅ Option 1: Use the Registry Editor (Advanced Users)
- Press
Win + R, typeregedit, and press Enter. - Navigate to:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Notepad- Look for a value called
fSaveWindowPos. If it doesn’t exist, create a new DWORD (32-bit) Value namedfSaveWindowPos. - Set its value to
0to reset window position and layout. - Restart Notepad.
⚠️ Editing the registry can be risky — back up before making changes.
✅ Option 2: Use Group Policy (Enterprise/Pro Users)
- Press
Win + R, typegpedit.msc, and press Enter. - Go to:
Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Notepad- Enable the policy “Prevent RTF format in Notepad” if available.
✅ Option 3: Replace Notepad with a Classic Alternative
If you’re fed up with the changes, consider replacing Notepad entirely with a third-party alternative that respects simplicity:
🧰 Recommended Alternatives:
| App | Features | Link |
|---|---|---|
| Notepad++ | Syntax highlighting, tabs, plugins | notepad-plus-plus.org |
| Metapad | Ultra-lightweight, no formatting | metapad.com |
| Micro | Terminal-based, modern but minimalist | micro-editor.github.io |
You can even replace the default Notepad executable with one of these apps if you’re comfortable doing so.
💬 Community Reaction
Across Reddit, Hacker News, and tech forums, users have expressed frustration:
“Why did they ruin Notepad? I didn’t ask for font choices.” – u/PlainTextWriter
“This feels like bloatware creeping into the last clean corner of Windows.” – TechLead on YouTube
Even developers and IT professionals are speaking out — saying the change undermines efficiency and clarity.
📢 Final Thoughts
Notepad was never meant to compete with Microsoft Word or Google Docs. Its strength lies in being fast, minimal, and consistent. By adding unnecessary formatting features, Microsoft risks alienating longtime users who rely on Notepad for its simplicity.
Let’s hope future updates allow users to toggle off these features — or at least provide a “classic mode.”
📥 Want More?
If you’d like a downloadable guide on how to restore classic Notepad behavior or switch to a better alternative, let me know in the comments below!
📌 Tags: Notepad, Windows 11, UI Changes, Productivity Tools, Microsoft