Notepad finally got some much-needed attention in Windows 10 1809. It’s been around since the first version of Windows and has always been a very basic text editor.
Well, Notepad is still a basic editor, and the interface is pretty much the same. But Microsoft added new features, made performance improvements, and fixed some bugs in Windows 10 1809 to give it a long overdue boost.
Here’s what you need to know about the improved Notepad in Windows 10 1809.
Zoom In and Out
Prior to Windows 10 1809, if you wanted to view bigger text in Notepad, you had to change the font size of the text.
Now, you can zoom in and out on the text without changing the font size.
You can also use the Ctrl + + (plus sign) and Ctrl + – (minus sign) keyboard shortcuts to zoom in and out, respectively. To go back to the default 100% zoom level, press Ctrl + 0 (zero).
You can also use a combination of the keyboard and the mouse to quickly zoom in and out. Press and hold the Ctrl key and scroll up with the scroll wheel on your mouse to zoom in or scroll down to zoom out.
Wrap Around, Find and Replace, and Search AutoFill
Previously, when you started searching in the middle of a text file in Notepad, the search would go to the end of the file or the beginning of the file (depending on the selected direction), but not search the whole file.
In the new improved Notepad, Microsoft added an option to wrap the search around so you can search the whole text file from wherever the cursor is in the file.
When you press Ctrl + F and enter a word or phrase in the Find what box, check the Wrap around box to search the whole file.
Notepad also remembers the options you select now, so when you check the Wrap around box, it will stay checked the next time you use the Find dialog box to search.
Microsoft also added another handy feature—Search Autofill.
Say you want to find other occurrences of specific text in your file. Select the text you want to find and press Ctrl + F. Notepad automatically inserts the selected text into the Find what box on the Find dialog box, allowing you to quickly start your search.
Display the Status Bar with Word Wrap Enabled
Previously, when you enabled Word Wrap on the Format menu in Notepad, the status bar would disappear if you had it enabled. You couldn’t display both at the same time. When Word Wrap was enabled, the Status Bar option on the View menu was grayed out and unavailable.
Now you can enable Word Wrap and display the Status Bar at the same time. And you can disable both if you want.
Support for Text Files from Linux and Mac
Before Windows 10 1809, Notepad only supported Windows Carriage Return (CR) and Line Feed (LF) (CRLF) line endings for text files. When you opened text files created on Unix, Linux, or Mac, the line endings wouldn’t display correctly. The file would be a mess and line endings occurred in unexpected places. You had to open the file in WordPad, save it there, and then reopen the file in Notepad.
Notepad still uses Windows Carriage Return (CR) and Line Feed (LF) (CRLF) line endings by default. But Microsoft finally added support in Notepad in Windows 10 1809 for line endings in Unix and Linux (LF) and Mac (CR). So text files created on Unix, Linux, or Mac will now display correctly when opened in Notepad.
When you edit and save text files created on Unix, Linux, or Mac, Notepad preserves the type of line breaks from the operating system it was created in.
Search Bing Directly From Notepad
Notepad now allows you to search Bing directly from a text file.
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Simply select a word or phrase and select Search with Bing from the Edit menu or press Ctrl + E. Notepad searches the web using Bing and opens the results in Microsoft Edge.
Unfortunately, you can only do searches from Notepad using Bing and Edge. There is no way to change to a different search engine or browser.
Other Changes, Improvements, and Bug Fixes
Microsoft made other small changes and improvements to Notepad. And they fixed some bugs.
Use a Keyboard Shortcut to Delete the Previous Word
Notepad already supports the Ctrl + left arrow and Ctrl + right arrow keyboard shortcuts to move through whole words at a time. You can also use the Shift + Ctrl + left arrow and Shift + Ctrl + right arrow keyboard shortcuts to select whole words at a time.
Now you can also use Ctrl + Backspace to delete the previous word.
Using Arrow Keys on Selected Text
Previously, when you had some text selected and you used the left or right arrow key to move the cursor and deselect the text, the cursor would jump ahead or back one character.
Now, when you move the cursor with the arrow keys while some text is selected, the first key press deselects the text and puts the cursor right after or before where the selection was. The cursor is not advanced an additional character away from the selected text.
Improved Performance When Opening Large Text Files
If you often work with large text files, you’ll be glad to know that Microsoft promises improved performance when opening large files in Notepad.
Some Display Bugs Fixed
Microsoft also fixed some display bugs.
Although we haven’t noticed this bug, Notepad now correctly displays lines that don’t fit entirely on the screen.
Also, when saving a file, the line and column numbers on that status bar don’t reset to 1. They continue showing the correct position of the cursor in the text file.
Increase Your Productivity With the New Notepad
Although there are good Notepad alternatives out there with many more features, Notepad is there by default and still useful for tasks like taking quick notes, editing configuration files, writing scripts and code, and more. There are also some cool tricks you can do with Notepad. And now, with the new features and improvements, you can be more productive in Notepad.
If you still want a text editor with more features than even the improved version of Notepad has, we offer a list of Windows Notepad alternatives.
— Update: 26-03-2023 — us.suanoncolosence.com found an additional article What’s new with Notepad in the Windows 10 October 2018 Update from the website www.windowscentral.com for the keyword new features in notepad in windows 10 v1809.
Alongside the extensive list of tweaks and several new features coming with the Windows 10 October 2018 Update (version 1809), Microsoft is also updating the good old Notepad app.
While you won’t find a modern interface in this updated version (like in those apps from the Microsoft Store), the note-taking app is getting some highly requested additions that should improve the overall experience, including support for wraparound while using find and replace, support for Unix and Linux line endings (LF) and Macintosh line endings (CR), and zoom.
In this Windows 10 guide, we highlight the most worthy improvements shipping with the Notepad app for the October 2018 Update.
Notepad’s new improvements
Here are all the new changes included with Notepad starting with version 1809.
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End of Line (EOL) support
Previously, Notepad only supported Windows Carriage Return (CR) and Line Feed (LF) (CRLF) End of Line for text documents. As a result, the note-taking app couldn’t display the text of files crafted on macOS, Linux, and Unix with the correct format.
However, starting with Windows 10 October 2018 Update, Notepad is getting an update that finally introduces support for Unix and Linux line endings (LF) and Macintosh line endings (CR) to display contents with the correct format.
The change doesn’t mean you’ll be able to create files using the new support, as Notepad will continue to default to the End of Line supported in Windows 10, but you’ll now be able to view, modify, and print contents created with other OSes.
Wraparound find and replace
In the past, you’ve only been able to search or replace text using one word. In this new update, Notepad is adding a “wraparound” option that allows you to search a phrase when using the find or replace dialog box.
Additionally, the app can now remember the values you typed in the box and the options you checked, and it’ll populate the next time you open the dialog box automatically. Even further, you can select some text in the document, and when you open the find or replace dialog, the text will automatically be added to the text box.
Search with Bing
If you need to research a word or phrase (for example, a command line), it’s now possible to select the text, and find more information using the “Search with Bing” option in the Edit menu.
Alternatively, you can also select the text and use the Ctrl + E keyboard shortcut to quickly get a Bing answer using Microsoft Edge.
Text zooming
Before the October 2018 Update, the only way to make the content of a text file bigger was to change the font size within the format settings. In the new update, the note-taking app is incorporating new zoom options.
Using the View menu, you’ll now notice a new Zoom option that allows you to quickly zoom content in and out, including an option to restore the default zoom level.
To avoid extra steps, you can also zoom using the new keyboard shortcuts:
- Ctrl + plus key — Zooms in making the text larger.
- Ctrl + minus key — Zooms out making the text smaller.
- Ctrl + mouse wheel — Zooms in or out depending if you’re scrolling forward or backward.
- Ctrl + zero — Restores the default zoom level.
Other Notepad changes
Along with the new improvements, Notepad also introduces some small but useful changes, including the ability to use the Ctrl + backspace key to delete the previous word you typed.
There is a new status bar, which comes enabled by default, and displays the line ending that the text file is using, line and column number with or without word-wrapping enabled, and current zoom level.
In addition, there have been improvements in performance when opening large text files. When saving a file, the line and column number will stop resetting to 1, and the app will correctly display the lines that don’t fit on the display.
Wrapping things up
Although nowadays most people use word processing apps and services, such as Microsoft Word and Google Docs, there are still a large number of users who prefer Notepad for editing configuration files, creating scripts, reviewing code, and more. And now, thanks to the new additions, users can be a little more productive, even when working with text files created with other note-taking application in macOS, Linux, and Unix.
What do you think about the Notepad changes included with the Windows 10 October 2018 Update? Tell us in the comments.
More Windows 10 resources
For more helpful articles, coverage, and answers to common questions about Windows 10, visit the following resources:
- Windows 10 on Windows Central – All you need to know
- Windows 10 help, tips, and tricks
- Windows 10 forums on Windows Central
Source: https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/new-improved-windows-10-notepad/