Microsoft looks to be bringing tabs to the Notepad app on Windows 11

Tabs in Notepad
(Image credit: MSFT Employee)

What you need to know

  • A screenshot of an internal build of Windows Notepad has appeared online
  • The screenshot reveals a version of the app with tabs
  • Notepad will be the latest app, after File Explorer, to receive tabs on Windows 11

Earlier this year, Microsoft finally added tabs to the File Explorer on Windows 11 after feedback from Insiders who were requesting it for years. The feature allows users to open multiple folders and directories under one window, just like how a web browser lets users open multiple web pages under one window.

Now that the File Explorer has tabs, it looks like Microsoft is eager to add the feature to another built-in Windows 11 app. A screenshot of an internal version of Notepad has been posted online, revealing a new tabs interface within the app.

The screenshot was spotted in a now deleted tweet by a Microsoft employee, which mentioned the tabs feature as being new. The screenshot shows a version of Notepad with a confidential warning along the top which reads "Don't discuss features or take screenshots."

Just like tabs in File Explorer (and most other apps with tabs,) the tabs themselves appear along the top of the app and allow the user to open multiple .txt files in the same window. Assuming the feature is on track to ship at some point, it's likely this new version of Notepad will be announced in the next handful of weeks for Windows Insiders in preview. 

Hopefully this means this new Notepad app will roll out officially in the coming months, possibly alongside an upcoming Windows 11 Moment update. The inclusion of tabs in Notepad will be a nice addition for Notepad power users. The question now remains, what app will Microsoft add tabs to next? 

Zac Bowden
Senior Editor

Zac Bowden is a Senior Editor at Windows Central. Bringing you exclusive coverage into the world of Windows on PCs, tablets, phones, and more. Also an avid collector of rare Microsoft prototype devices! Keep in touch on Twitter and Threads