Notepad Will Soon Be Delivered As a Microsoft Store App in Windows 10

Microsoft is splitting up Notepad from Windows 10. Starting with Windows 10 20H1, Microsoft will deliver Notepad as a standalone Microsoft Store app.

What that means is that Notepad will continue to come included with Windows 10 as usual, but the way Microsoft updates Notepad will change. Notepad updates will no longer have any connection with Windows 10 updates or release scheme, and it will receive independent updates via the Microsoft Store.

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That’s obviously a very good change as Microsoft will now be able to update Notepad without having to release a whole update to the OS. “We’re making a change so that future Notepad updates will be automatically available via the store. This will allow us the flexibility to respond to issues and feedback outside the bounds of Windows releases,” said Microsoft.

It’s not clear if Microsoft plans on releasing any major features to Notepad in the near-term, though. Notepad did receive a number of new features over the last year or so, and maybe that’s just a part of more to come. But now that Notepad updates are soon going to be decoupled from Windows 10 once 20H1 ships, we may soon start seeing new features frequently.

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Conversation 44 comments

  • bart

    Premium Member
    16 August, 2019 - 4:43 pm

    <p>Cool. Mail next pls</p>

    • martinusv2

      Premium Member
      16 August, 2019 - 4:53 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#449912">In reply to Bart:</a></em></blockquote><p>Mail is updated by the store alrady.</p>

  • harmjr

    Premium Member
    16 August, 2019 - 4:49 pm

    <p>What updates. Its just a plain text editor!</p>

    • suhailali

      Premium Member
      16 August, 2019 - 6:57 pm

      <blockquote>I agree. It's perfect – fast and feature-less </blockquote><blockquote><a href="#449913"><em>In reply to harmjr:</em></a></blockquote><p><br></p>

  • StevenLayton

    16 August, 2019 - 4:50 pm

    <p>What notepad is missing is VR, AR and 3D capabilities. Maybe it’ll finally get them.</p>

    • simont

      Premium Member
      16 August, 2019 - 5:01 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#449914">In reply to StevenLayton:</a></em></blockquote><p>And then it's not notepad, it is just another text editor with features that will never be used.</p>

    • jchampeau

      Premium Member
      17 August, 2019 - 8:24 am

      <blockquote><em><a href="#449914">In reply to StevenLayton:</a></em></blockquote><p>And an e-bookstore that'll let you download books with all the text in one single, non-word-wrapped line.</p>

  • warren

    16 August, 2019 - 4:50 pm

    <p>Neat. Maybe this'll mean it can be uninstalled altogether.</p>

    • ecumenical

      16 August, 2019 - 4:58 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#449915">In reply to warren:</a></em></blockquote><p><br></p><p>You'll finally get your 196KB back.</p>

      • warren

        16 August, 2019 - 5:08 pm

        <blockquote><em><a href="#449919">In reply to ecumenical:</a></em></blockquote><p><br></p><p>Two things — </p><p><br></p><p>1) it's about twice that amount because both the 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Notepad are present on every 64 bit system.</p><p><br></p><p>2) If I have an alternate text editor installed, I wouldn't want Notepad ever showing up. The alternate text editor could register itself as the application that runs when "notepad.exe" is executed. (This is a feature of Windows 10 called "App execution aliases) It might seem like a silly thing to want (aren't file associations enough?), but there are still a lot of applications out there, especially older line-of-business apps, that have a hardcoded reference to "notepad.exe" as a text viewer.</p>

        • safesax2002

          16 August, 2019 - 6:38 pm

          <blockquote><em><a href="#449923">In reply to warren:</a></em></blockquote><p>I do this for Notepad++. Someone made a Notepad++ plugin to do this but it sits in the system tray and for every file you open it runs another instance. So I set up an alias to take care of the problem and got rid of the plugin.</p>

  • martinusv2

    Premium Member
    16 August, 2019 - 4:52 pm

    <p>All apps not tied to the core OS should be updatable by the store like in mobile.</p>

  • rmlounsbury

    Premium Member
    16 August, 2019 - 4:53 pm

    <p>MJF is getting blown up today. </p>

    • anderb

      Premium Member
      16 August, 2019 - 5:20 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#449918">In reply to rmlounsbury:</a></em></blockquote><p>Now all they need to do is backport the store to Windows 7.</p>

  • skane2600

    16 August, 2019 - 5:09 pm

    <p>Because users have been demanding that Notepad updates should be happening more frequently? </p>

  • hrlngrv

    Premium Member
    16 August, 2019 - 5:37 pm

    <p>Поздравляю, but I'll stick with a mix of Notepad++ and Vim.</p><p>An OS should come with a BASIC plain text editor, and Notepad has been that since the EDIT mode of QBASIC from the early 1990s. How often has it been updated since Windows 3.1 became the de facto standard around 1993? Gotta say, I sure didn't notice any new features between the mid 1990s and last year. Other than patching possible buffer overflow exploits, how many updates has MSFT made to Notepad NOT in new Windows versions?</p>

  • truerock2

    16 August, 2019 - 6:26 pm

    <p>So, consider:</p><p>Microsoft Windows Notepad</p><p>Microsoft Windows WordPad</p><p>Microsoft Works Word Processor</p><p>Microsoft Office Word</p><p><br></p><p>Those are 4 Microsoft applications that each provide related functionality are different levels of complexity.</p><p><br></p><p>I understand that Microsoft felt there was too much overlap between Works and Office. Nevertheless, I think it is in Microsoft's interest to deliver a basic set of desktop PC applications on the level of Wordpad. Regardless, I get that Microsoft looked at cutting Microsoft Works as a corporate cost savings – a tough call that looks ridiculous after the lost billions of dollars on the Windows 8 fiasco.</p><p><br></p><p>Moving Notepad to Microsoft Store is a smart move. I use Notepad++ from time to time – but, I use Notepad more often. Notepad is the quintessential Windows app that is so appealing because it is free and simple. Notepad++ is not free and not simple – but, of course many, many people use it because they need those extra features.</p><p><br></p><p>Microsoft needs a suite of free, simple apps because it makes the corporation look at the 90% solution – and, that is always an important thing to do. And, Microsoft Store is the perfect way to deliver them.</p><p><br></p><p>Another thing about free and simple Microsoft Windows apps like NetMeeting, Windows Media Capture, Windows Media Player etc – is that they help demonstrate the Windows API to developers. </p><p><br></p><p>A problem arises when the free Windows apps become bloated (e.g. Windows Media Player) and users are forced to turn to alternatives that are simpler.</p>

  • rmac

    16 August, 2019 - 6:41 pm

    <p>OFF TOPIC: did the Xamarin website front end just disappear? I can't seem to find the old site. And there's little mention of UWP under docs.</p>

  • madthinus

    Premium Member
    16 August, 2019 - 7:51 pm

    <p>All the build in apps, legacy and new should be appx apps in Windows 10. Reduce the size of the download and the surface of attack on the system. Switch the os without having to download all the apps each time to just update them again.</p>

  • dvsctt

    16 August, 2019 - 8:15 pm

    <p>Please tell me the context of this post is pure sarcasm </p>

  • JaviAl

    Premium Member
    16 August, 2019 - 8:24 pm

    <p>More UWP garbage, not a real Win32 application.</p>

    • madthinus

      Premium Member
      18 August, 2019 - 3:11 am

      <blockquote><em><a href="#449979">In reply to JaviAl:</a></em></blockquote><p>It is the same notepad, just in the store using the appx container tech from the desktop bridge. I hope they move more apps over to appx. </p>

  • letsmakeitbetter

    16 August, 2019 - 8:39 pm

    <p>Let this be the first of many that customer choose to install from the store. rather than have thrust on them and then need to be uninstalled. Mail, People, Candy Crush and all be gone. Let the customer choose. Please just give us an OS please and damn all else. Never happen. Who said the customer was king. They lied.</p>

    • skane2600

      16 August, 2019 - 9:12 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#449980">In reply to Letsmakeitbetter:</a></em></blockquote><p>I doubt we would all agree on what "just an OS" would actually include or not include. The App Store itself might not qualify. </p>

    • truerock2

      16 August, 2019 - 9:12 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#449980">In reply to Letsmakeitbetter:</a></em></blockquote><p>I think Microsoft should have a complete suite of simple apps in he Store</p>

    • dontbeevil

      16 August, 2019 - 10:37 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#449980">In reply to Letsmakeitbetter:</a></em></blockquote><p>Tell me about other "just" OS… For examole chess app in mac os (that you can't even unistall) </p>

  • venividivinci

    16 August, 2019 - 8:41 pm

    <p>Mary Jo will be pleased </p>

    • bbold

      16 August, 2019 - 11:20 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#449981">In reply to venividivinci:</a></em></blockquote><p>My thoughts exactly :D</p>

    • addages9

      17 August, 2019 - 12:38 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#449981">In reply to venividivinci:</a></em></blockquote><p><br></p><p>Doubt it, she’s still using Windows 7 isn’t she? I’m sure it was mentioned on Windows Weekly in the past couple weeks.</p>

      • k

        17 August, 2019 - 5:07 pm

        <blockquote><em><a href="#450058">In reply to addages9:</a></em></blockquote><p><br></p><p>January 2020 is less than half a year away now which is when Microsoft drops support for Windows 7 iirc. </p>

  • Dan1986ist

    Premium Member
    16 August, 2019 - 9:34 pm

    <p>So, basically those who need Notepad will be able install it via the Microsoft Store once 20H1 goes gold and is released to everyone and those who don't can uninstall or not install it to begin with. </p>

  • rwj_dk

    17 August, 2019 - 1:08 am

    <p>Still hope it is possible to Call it via simple command line arguments. (notepad.exe "filepath")… While doable with store apps it is damn difficult (example, switched to Paint.Net from the app store, but ended up going back because I used a program that needed to command line call it and it did not work for a store app.</p>

  • Tony Barrett

    17 August, 2019 - 4:58 am

    <p>Notepad. A store app. Honestly? A app that's barely been updated in 20 years that suddenly get's a couple of (very) minor updates that don't really change much is going to move to a store app so MS can get future updates to users more quickly.</p><p><br></p><p>I'll be honest, Notepad has a place, and it's real useful having a basic text editor sometimes that's built into the OS, but I'd say most people who need to regularly edit text files will use something like Notepad++ or EditPad already – a TON more features and those support CR+LF properly!</p>

  • irfaanwahid

    17 August, 2019 - 5:37 am

    <p>This is crazy and nothing great about it.</p><p><br></p><p>Is Microsoft really planning to update NotePad every what, 2 weeks, 6 weeks? I don't think so at all.</p><p><br></p><p>Even if Microsoft updates NotePad with every Windows 10 Upgrade (every 6 months), that isn't bad. </p><p><br></p><p>But I highly doubt Microsoft will be updating NotePad all that frequent and for what?</p><p><br></p><p>This is just waste of time/resources for Windows Dev team.</p>

  • johnborgesfl

    Premium Member
    17 August, 2019 - 7:09 am

    <p>Do you actually want us to believe that Microsoft has to wait for a major update to the OS to update notepad? This makes about as much sense as Apple telling us they couldnt remove the stocks app from the iphone. Do they think the user base is that stupid?</p><p><br></p>

  • waethorn

    17 August, 2019 - 6:38 pm

    <p>This is pretty shitty, now that LTSC customers won't have a standard text editor included out of the box.</p>

    • hrlngrv

      Premium Member
      18 August, 2019 - 5:21 pm

      <p><a href="https://www.thurrott.com/windows/212334/notepad-will-soon-be-delivered-as-a-microsoft-store-app-in-windows-10#450127&quot; target="_blank"><em>In reply to Waethorn:</em></a></p><p>Doesn't the article mention that it's still bundled with Windows?</p><p>Next question: is there any All Users analog for the new Start Menu? Or is the Windows 10 Start Menu now entirely per user for Store apps? That is, is there any Group Policy setting which would prevent users from uninstalling Notepad? FWIW, I'm stilled pissed MSFT deprecated EDIT.EXE so there's no bundled text mode editor.</p>

      • waethorn

        19 August, 2019 - 11:15 am

        <blockquote><em><a href="#450244">In reply to hrlngrv:</a></em></blockquote><p>"Starting with Windows 10 20H1, Microsoft will deliver Notepad as a standalone Microsoft Store app."</p><p><br></p><p>LTSC doesn't include Windows Store apps, nor the Store at all. For a version of Windows where you'll probably need a basic text editor to configure deployment scripts and/or settings to keep it locked down, this is just stupid.</p>

  • Intara

    18 August, 2019 - 4:32 pm

    <p>It's getting ridiculous. Updates for Calc.exe, Notepad.exe. That should be the motivation to switch to Windows 10? Is that all M$ has to offer (except of course the updated telemetry, the increased update schedule and more and more ads)?</p>

  • hrlngrv

    Premium Member
    18 August, 2019 - 5:12 pm

    <p>FYI, for anyone else who uses Classic Shell, Notepad no longer appears under Accessories but in the Store Apps list.</p><p>Annoyingly, if one uninstalls the new Notepad app, that doesn't get rid of %windir%\system32\notepad.EXE, so it's become rather more complicated for batch files to determine whether it's installed, though it should be simple enough for Powershell to determine it.</p><p>More minor irritations for IT people. For me, I never use it by choice on my home PCs, nor Paint 3D, nor the new Calculator. The only bundled applets I use are EUDCEDIT.EXE, Charmap and WordPad. Not looking forward to the Store-ification of those. OTOH, the sooner I can eliminate cruft like the Math Input Panel the better (once one gets used to LaTeX or Markdown, drawing math notation becomes as archaic as using an outhouse in winter).</p>

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