Text Formatting in Notepad is available for Windows Insiders

Microsoft is rolling out a new Notepad update (version 11.2504.50.0) for Windows Insiders in the Canary and Dev Channels on Windows 11, introducing lightweight text formatting capabilities. This update brings additional flexibility for structuring content and marks another step in modernizing Notepad, which recently introduced generative AI features for summarizing text.

The new experience supports Markdown-style input and file compatibility, which allows users to work directly with the lightweight markup language. With a new formatting toolbar, you can type or select text and add styles, including bold and italic. You can also add hyperlinks, headings, and even a simple list.

However, if you prefer plain text, you can quickly revert it from the Formatting toolbar or the Edit menu and clear all formatting.

Furthermore, you can use the View menu or the toggle button in the status bar at the bottom of the window to switch between formatted Markdown and Markdown syntax views. However, if you want to disable support for formatting, you can go to the Notepad app settings.