Microsoft is Testing Tabs for Notepad Internally

Microsoft appears to be testing a new version of its Notepad app with tabs internally. As spotted by Windows Central over the weekend, a Microsoft employee mistakenly tweeted an image of a NotePad internal build showing a second tab.

In the tweet that was quickly deleted, the Senior Product Manager wrote that “Notepad in Windows 11 now has tabs.” As you can see below, the image had a clear “Confidential” internal warning.

The tabs interface in Notepad will be similar to the one Microsoft recently added to its File Explorer app on Windows 11. Windows Insiders got to test tabs in File Explorer first this year, and Microsoft will likely do the same with Notepad.

If Notepad has been part of Windows for decades, the app only started to receive more attention earlier this year when Microsoft released a redesigned version of it with dark theme support. Notepad also became a Microsoft Store app, which means that it can receive updates much more frequently.

Even though NotePad remains a pretty barebones text editor, it remains a favorite among Windows users who don’t need all the bells and whistles of an app like OneNote. Tabs in File Explorer have been a top-requested feature for years, and the addition of tabs to Notepad will likely please a lot of power users as well.