Windows 11 Notepad to support Markdown
Microsoft is rolling out significant updates to Windows 11's Notepad and Paint, integrating features like expanded Markdown support and AI capabilities. These changes, intended to modernize the classic applications, have ignited a fiery debate on Hacker News. Users are largely critical, viewing the updates as unwanted bloat that compromises simplicity, introduces security risks, and pushes unwelcome AI integrations.
The Lowdown
Microsoft is beginning to roll out updates for its Notepad and Paint applications to Windows Insiders, introducing a suite of new features aimed at enhancing functionality.
- Notepad will see expanded Markdown support, including strikethrough formatting and nested lists, accessible via a formatting toolbar, keyboard shortcuts, or direct syntax editing. It also gains a new welcome experience to highlight features and expanded support for streaming results from AI text features (Write, Rewrite, Summarize), which will appear quicker and require a Microsoft account.
- Paint is getting two new features: an AI-powered "Coloring book" that generates unique coloring pages from text prompts (exclusive to Copilot+ PCs and requiring a Microsoft account), and a fill tolerance slider for more precise color application with the Fill tool.
While these updates aim to evolve these long-standing Windows utilities, they have sparked considerable discussion and controversy among users regarding feature creep and the future direction of core operating system tools.
The Gossip
Notepad's Perilous Path
Many users lament the transformation of Notepad from a lightweight, no-frills text editor into a feature-laden application, echoing the fate of WordPad (which was recently discontinued). The addition of Markdown, AI features, and even a welcome screen is seen as bloat that undermines its core utility, pushing users to seek alternatives. There's a strong sentiment that if new features were desired, they should have been added to WordPad or a new application, preserving Notepad's fundamental simplicity.
Security Scares and Software Bloat
Critics point to a recent Remote Code Execution (RCE) vulnerability (CVE-2026-20841) potentially linked to Notepad's new Markdown support, arguing that added complexity inherently introduces security risks. The discussion also expands to perceived performance degradation and bloat in other Windows 11 apps like Explorer and Outlook, suggesting a broader decline in Microsoft's native app quality and a departure from user-centric design.
The Quest for Plain-Text Purity
As Notepad becomes more complex, users are actively discussing and seeking minimalist text editor alternatives. Suggestions range from traditional command-line tools like EDIT.COM, Vim, and Emacs, to more modern but still lightweight options like Notepad++, Kate, and SciTE. Many users emphasize the need for a 'binary WYSIWYG' editor that simply displays text as is, free from formatting interference or AI assistance. Some share methods to revert to or retrieve the old Notepad version.
AI's Inevitable Infiltration
The integration of AI features like 'Write, Rewrite, Summarize' in Notepad and 'Coloring book' in Paint, coupled with the requirement for a Microsoft account, draws significant criticism. Users see this as an unwelcome push for Copilot, driven by monetization rather than user need, leading to the 'enshittification' of essential tools and the transformation of simple applications into data-gathering platforms. The notion that Markdown support is primarily due to LLMs' preference for it is also discussed.