An employee at Microsoft may have accidentally announced that Windows 11’s Notepad app will get tabs. A senior Microsoft product manager posted a photo showing Notepad with tabs. He enthusiastically announced that “Notepad in Windows 11 now features tabs!” using a loudspeaker emoji.
The tweet was deleted shortly after, but not before Windows Central and several other Windows enthusiasts on Twitter noticed the error. Better yet, the leaked Notepad screenshot contains a Microsoft internal warning that says “Confidential Do not discuss features or take pictures.”
This warning indicates that tabs are still being tested at Microsoft but may be available to Windows Insiders in early 2023. Have a look at the image below.
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If Microsoft decides to go ahead with tabs for Notepad, it will be the first built-in Windows app to get the feature after File Explorer. In a feature called Sets, Microsoft first tested tabs across all Windows 10 applications four years ago. This supported tabs within Notepad and File Explorer. However, Microsoft ended the project without shipping it to Windows 10 users.
Notepad’s addition of tabs could indicate a shift to tabs being included in other Windows apps. Although Microsoft has canceled the Sets feature in Windows 10, it doesn’t stop Windows power users from using third-party tools and apps to bring tabs to different parts of Windows 10.
Launch
As it stands, there is currently no indication of when tabs are coming to Notepad, but since the feature is still in testing, it may be a while before we get to see it. As mentioned earlier, it might roll out to Windows Insider users in early 2023, meaning it could see a wider launch in mid-2023.
Now that the feature is officially confirmed by Microsoft itself, we can be sure that it is definitely coming sooner or later.
