Microsoft has finally decided to add spell check and autocorrect features to its simple text editor, Notepad, after 38 years. It’s surprising that such basic functions were missing from the app since it was first launched in 1983.
The features have been in testing for a few months now. They were initially demonstrated to Windows Insiders in the Canary and Dev channels back in March 2024. The rollout then moved to the Beta and Release Preview Channels in May. Recently, the features have started to become available to all Windows 11 users. I had the chance to try out the spell check feature, and it works as you would expect. When you make a spelling mistake or encounter a typo, a red underline appears under the word. By clicking on the underlined word, you can see possible corrections. For those who love keyboard shortcuts, the shortcut for this feature is Shift + F10 when hovering over the underlined word. If you find a suggestion you like, simply click on it to fix your misspelling. Additionally, by right-clicking on the underlined word, you can choose to ‘Ignore’ it or add it to the dictionary to prevent it from being marked as a typo in the future.
Microsoft has been making efforts to enhance the functionality of Notepad. Earlier this year, tabs were introduced to the basic text editor. While Notepad still has a long way to go before it reaches the level of Microsoft Word, these small updates are a step in the right direction towards making the app more user-friendly. The addition of spell check and autocorrect features will undoubtedly make writing and editing text in Notepad a more seamless experience for users. It’s great to see Microsoft continuing to improve upon this classic tool that has been a part of Windows for decades.
