Microsoft is finally adding a spell checker to Notepad in Windows 11

While Microsoft is keen on deprecating features and apps, it has also been engaged in injecting new life into legacy apps in recent years -- just look at how Paint has evolved, for instance. The company has also been slowly but surely updating another software stalwart, Notepad.

Having already added a tabbed interface, an auto-save feature and, of course, a dash of AI, Microsoft is a now set to add a spell checking. It does not end there, though. In addition to a highly customizable spell checker, there will also be an autocorrect feature -- and considerations have been made for developers and coders.

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Notepad has an eager fanbase, and the arrival of a spell checker is something that is likely to be widely welcomed. But it's hard not to wonder what took Microsoft so long.

The upcoming feature was spotted by the ever-reliable PhantomOfEarth who shared a couple of screenshots on X:

A popular use for Notepad is coding, and this is a scenario which does not really lend itself to word processor-style spell checking. And it is with this in mind that Microsoft is including the option to toggle the feature on and off for different file types -- so you can have it enabled for .txt files and disabled for .lic files.

It is not yet clear when these new features will roll out to Notepad, but is unlikely to be long before we see something on the Insider channels.