For decades, the classic Windows notepad was loved because it was basically the digital version of a quick scrap of paper. It was instant, temporary, and totally reliable. However, what Microsoft has done to the app in Windows 11 has turned this formerly simple staple into a cautionary story about software bloat.
Microsoft transformed Notepad from a simple tool into a feature-laden application that many users argue now suffers from software bloat. Still, you don’t have to keep giving Microsoft your time, because there is another app that I prefer using.
I can’t help but notice that the path Notepad is taking looks uncomfortably similar to the decline and eventual death of WordPad. Microsoft clearly wants to turn Notepad into a weak word processor, adding rich text features like spellcheck, bold text, and headers, which completely ruins the minimalism that made the tool so essential for distraction-free editing.
Adding tabs and automatic session saving, while some might find that helpful, has removed the scratchpad workflow that defined this application for over 40 years. When you launch it, you don’t get a clean slate anymore; you’re hit with a mess of previously opened files. This persistence means a lightweight tool becomes a major privacy liability, forcing you to manually manage and close tabs instead of just shutting the window to discard temporary thoughts.
The interface is also getting cluttered due to the aggressive integration of AI, with Microsoft jamming Copilot right into the menu bars alongside many features. These changes make it look like Microsoft is using a basic text editor primarily to push its AI services rather than keeping it a functional tool. Essentially, it’s turning the app into an AI novelty that nobody asked for.
The real cost of all this feature creep is a serious drop in performance. Moving from the classic Win32 app to the modern WinUI 3 version has made it noticeably slower. Startup times, which used to be instantaneous, are now sluggish. The app also uses significantly more system memory, jumping from virtually nothing to almost 2MB just for an empty window.
Why Notepad++ remains the gold standard
Notepad++
If you ask me, Notepad++ is still the king of text editors. It sticks to a great philosophy that I feel Microsoft totally gave up on: always prioritizing speed and efficiency over adding unnecessary features.
Windows 11’s Notepad is bloated and is getting further from its former self as time goes on. Notepad++, on the other hand, respects your time and your system resources. It uses the pure Win32 API and STL to maintain maximum execution speed and keep the program size small. This efficient design means lightning-fast boot times. Comparing the two as I wrote this, it took almost three more seconds to load up Notepad than it did Notepad++, both in a blank state.
While speed is non-negotiable for writing smaller apps, it’s the feature set that makes it the gold standard in my opinion. Notepad++ gives you the features you should be using that developers actually need. Right away, it supports syntax highlighting and code folding for more than 80 programming languages. It automatically detects languages like C++, Java, and HTML to instantly make your code much easier to read.
The search and replace feature is another huge win. It moves way past the basic tools in the native app because it offers full Regular Expression (Regex) support for complex text changes and the ability to search for content across many files and directories at the same time.
What’s great is that Notepad++ really understands the line between utility and bloat thanks to its amazing plugin system. Instead of jamming heavy features down your throat, it lets you choose your customizations using the Plugin Manager.
Ultimately, that’s what’s wrong with Notepad, and it is a big issue with Microsoft as a whole-choice. I am forced to deal with Copilot, despite not wanting to use it at all. I have to see it in my games, apps, on a button on my keyboard, and now in a supposed lightweight app. Notepad++ respects me enough to let me decide what to put on my apps, unlike Microsoft, which keeps trying to force me to like Copilot.
You Decide How Complicated it is
Notepad++ gives you total control, letting you decide exactly how complex or simple your text editor needs to be. If you miss when a text editor was just a digital scratchpad, you can set up Notepad++ to look exactly like that classic, distraction-free environment. Even though the default interface is packed with functions, you can customize almost every part of the UI.
You can use the style configurator to remove visual clutter, set up a minimal theme, or turn on a dark mode that honors your system settings without the bloat that comes with typical modern Windows applications.
Notepad++’s real power is how this open source option can scale up from being a simple notepad into a fully featured integrated development environment (IDE) whenever you need it to. Using the built-in plugins admin, you can get access to a huge library of extensions that turn the editor into a serious programming tool.
Notepad++ also has powerful tools that are built in, but they aren’t in your face, so you may miss them. You can record macros to automate formatting tasks that repeat often, like cleaning up lists of data, which saves you hours of manual effort without needing any cloud-based AI. Features like the document map, which gives you an easy overview for navigating enormous scripts, and multi-editing lets you type in several places at the same time.
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Notepad++ is successful where the Windows 11 update fails because it respects how you actually work. It can be that lightning-fast, lightweight note-taker you’ve been missing, or the feature-packed coding powerhouse, but you get the choice.
In the end, an app’s features are only bloated if you don’t need them. Having an AI in a notepad is weird, but having it in a chatbot makes total sense. Notepad++ could be like Notepad is now, but the difference is that you decide if and when that happens, it’s not in some update you’re forced to take if you want bug fixes and security.
Windows Notepad’s journey from being that beloved, minimalist tool to a complex app that hogs performance is a reminder of how quickly you can lose a good utility. Developers should prioritize one core function and aggressively fight off feature creep, especially when new features actually hurt speed, stability, and your privacy.
Luckily, the best tools are the ones that simply get out of your way, giving you power through thoughtful utility instead of just adding bloat. You’ll often find that the simplest, most focused choice is the one that gives you the most professional and reliable experience.
