UPDATE 3/21/2024: The Notepad app for Windows 11 is getting long-overdue spelling features. According to the official announcement, Microsoft is working on integrating a new spell checker and autocorrection functionalities in Notepad.
Although Windows 11 already comes with a spell checker, autocorrect, and even text prediction while typing, these capabilities (for some reason) do not expand to the Notepad.
In future releases of the app, Microsoft plans to go a step further with the spelling functionality since you will have more granular control to specify the file format where you want to have proofreading capabilities to appear. The screenshot (via @PhantomOfEarth) for Notepad version 11.2402.18.0 shows that you can set the feature for “.txt,” “.md,” “.srt/.ass,” “.lrc,” and “.lic.”
In addition, the settings page includes an option to enable autocorrect to fix typos when the spell-checker is turned on.
The difference between the spell-checking and autocorrect functionalities from other applications is that it will only apply for certain format types and not for code files, such as “.html,” “.css,” “.json,” “.js,” meaning that you won’t have to worry about the messing up for code.
For example, sometimes, I use OneNote to save code snippets to make them available from other devices. However, since the spelling is enabled by default, the code always has those wavy red underlines. I usually turn off the spell-checker in OneNote.
Once you enable the features, when a grammar error is detected, you can click, tap, or use the “Shift + F10” shortcut in the word to choose the suggested spelling.
The company notes that the spelling feature includes a dictionary that you can use to add words to prevent the app from flagging them in the future. The spell checker is also available in multiple languages, and you can temporarily turn it off for the current file from the context menu.
Although Microsoft has neglected Notepad for decades, since the release of Windows 11 back in 2021, the company has been proactively updating the application with a new interface to match the operating system design language. Then came the improvements for search and replace, followed by support for tabs and auto-save while preserving the unsaved contents of the files even after a restart.
The company is also working on bringing Copilot to Notepad by adding an option to select text and send it to the chatbot AI. Other rumors suggest that the note-taking app could get a new feature to rewrite content, similar to the Copilot feature in Word.
It’s unclear when the spelling and autocorrect feature will roll out to everyone, but the company is likely to bundle these improvements as part of the changes coming with the release of Windows 11 24H2, which is expected to launch during the second half of 2024, as they are already available for testing in the Dev and Canary Channels.
What are your thoughts on the new improvements coming to Notepad? Start the conversation in the comments below.
Update March 21, 2024: The content has been updated to include the features already available for testing.
