If there is a program that has been part of the operating system since the first versions of Windows, and that has barely received changes and improvements, that is Notepad. It is a plain text editor that allows us to open any TXT file (and other formats) to read its content, or to take our own notes. With the development of Windows 11, this Notepad is about to receive one of the biggest changes seen in this program. And, if you want, you can already try this new version before anyone else.
After many years of waiting, Windows is finally getting one of the most anticipated features: tabs. We use these tabs when we browse the Internet in Chrome, Edge or Firefox, and, since the end of last year, we also have them in Windows File Explorer. Thanks to them it is possible to open two or more folders within a single window, having a much neater and more organized desktop.
Now, Microsoft is working on being able to bring these tabs to another of the operating system tools: Notepad. Thanks to them we will be able to have several text files open within the same window, moving through them very easily and avoiding taking our taskbar from the windows of this program.
For now, this new function is only available to users signed up to the Windows Insider program, that is, in the Windows 11 beta. But, if we want, we can install the new Notepad in our own Windows 11 without having to sign up. to this beta. Let’s see how.
Install the new Notepad
In order to start using the tabs in Notepad without being an Insider, what we must do is download the program package from the Store and install it by hand in our Windows 11. The only requirement is that we have the PC updated to the version 22H2 of this operating system.
The first thing to do is enter this website to be able to download the package of this version of Notepad. To the left of the search bar, make sure you have the “ProductID” option selected, and type the following into the search box: “9MSMLRH6LZF3”. We must make sure that on the right we have the “Fast” option selected.
We wait a few seconds for the web to perform the search and when we see all the results, we must look for the following package, of 11.68 MB:
Microsoft.WindowsNotepad_11.2212.33.0_neutral_~_8wekyb3d8bbwe.msixbundle
We download it and, when it is downloaded, we proceed to install it. We double click, click on the “Update” button and, when the installation is finished, we will have the new notepad, with its new tabs, in our Windows 11.
Try any other beta app
In addition to testing the beta version of Notepad, we can use this same method to test any other application Microsoft is developing. For example, we can find and install the Windows 11 Snipping Tool beta that includes a screen recording tool. Or any other program that, in future Insider versions, we see that Microsoft updates and introduces new features that we are interested in trying.