If you’ve been waiting for tabs to come to Notepad, similar to File Explorer in the recent Windows 11 update, you’re in luck.
According to Windows Latest (Opens in a new tab)Microsoft was working on this back in 2019 for Windows 10, but it has been delayed. However, with tabs in File Explorer already helping so many users and their workflows, including me, it makes sense to have this feature in Notepad as well.
It may arrive in the next “Moment” update, which is Microsoft’s next attempt to roll out smaller improvements to Windows 11 every few months, before the major update at the end of the year.
However, with tabs now in a couple of Microsoft’s well-known apps, what else could stand to gain?
take a tab
I remember first using tabs in Mozilla’s Firefox browser – it was a big selling point for them at the time, as Internet Explorer 6 was still a single window browser. Nowadays, I use tabs everywhere, from Adobe Photoshop to switch between different projects, and the Finder app on macOS to switch between different folders.
I can see the tabs make sense in other Microsoft apps—Paint might be a good candidate, so you can switch between your different masterpieces for example, while Calendar might be another great option if you’re signed up for multiple calendars, and you don’t. I don’t want them to look confused in one show.
However, Notepad is an odd bit soon with tabs, as the app has always been all about simplicity. You open the app, and you’re immediately taken to a blank page where you can start jotting down your thoughts or your story. It’s always been an app for me to jot down some ideas, especially before notes on my iPhone replaced that functionality.
It’s still a great, free alternative to Microsoft Word on Office 365 if you just need to write something down and don’t worry about formatting. And I think, for the time being anyway, tabs will not only lower the price of the app, but rather make it more useful for productivity.