Windows Notepad

ApplicationMicrosoft Corporation

Also called notepad, windows notepad

Microsoft CorporationSystem

The Windows text editor. The process stays notepad.exe even when Windows 11 serves the Store build with tabs.

What you need to know

Notepad is still notepad.exe. The Windows 11 UI is a Store update, not a new mystery process.

Windows Notepad edits plain text. Windows 11 added tabs through a Store package. WINWORD.EXE is Word. Code.exe is VS Code.

What is it?: The Windows text editor
Can I uninstall it?: The Store build, on some SKUs
Is it Word?: No

Feex says

If you need tabs in a tiny editor, the current Notepad already has them. I would not install a random notepad.exe from a filename site.

What is Windows Notepad?

Windows Notepad is the in-box text editor. Classic System32 notepad remains for compatibility. Windows 11 can redirect to the Store app.

If you have never used it

If you need to read a .txt or a log, Notepad is already on Windows. Press Start and type Notepad. It is not Word, not VS Code, and not a download. Windows 11 added tabs through a Store update. The process name stayed notepad.exe.

What is it used for?

Plain text

Logs, notes, and files without formatting. Encoding surprises still happen on odd files.

Quick logs and notes

The reason people still open it from Run: notepad.

Tabs on Windows 11

A Store package feature. Classic System32 Notepad on older servicing has no tabs.

Who is it for?

Anyone who needs a tiny editor
Users who should not confuse it with Word
People who saw a new UI and thought the exe changed

Current status

Actively updated through the Microsoft Store on current Windows 11. Classic Notepad remains on older servicing.

How old is it?

Notepad has shipped with Windows since the 1980s. The Windows 11 Store build is a recent UI on the same name. It is one of the oldest Windows apps still in daily use. WordPad was removed from current Windows 11. Notepad stayed.

Versions

Major channels first. Exact build numbers are not all verified here.

Store Notepad (Windows 11)

Classic System32

System requirements

Values follow the publisher's public guidance. Workload still changes the real need.

Minimum

Minimum system requirements
Operating system	Windows. The Store build needs a current Windows 11 with Store access

Resource profile

CPU demand: Low except huge logs
RAM demand: Follows file size

Installed processes

These executables belong to this product when it is installed.

Installed processes
notepad.exe	Classic or Store host

Startup components

Notepad should not start with Windows unless a file opened it.

File locations

Common Windows Notepad locations
Classic	C:\Windows\System32\notepad.exe
Store	WindowsApps package

File formats

TXTother text you open

Common problems

Two UIs

Store versus classic is a Windows 11 feature. The process name stayed notepad.exe.

Uninstall regrets

Reinstall from Optional features or the Store. Do not download a replacement exe.

Getting unstuck

Reinstall from the Microsoft Store or Optional features

If the Store build is gone, search Notepad in the Store. Do not download notepad.exe from a filename site.

Huge logs want a different editor

Notepad can choke on multi-megabyte logs. That is file size, not a broken Windows.

Encoding: try UTF-8 in the Save dialog

Mojibake is often the encoding, not a virus inside the txt.

Alternatives

VS Code and Word cover heavier files. Pick them for encoding and styles, not because Notepad grew tabs.

Official help and downloads

Start with the vendor. Random exe sites are not a support channel.

Official contacts
Microsoft Support: Notepad	support.microsoft.com/windows/help-in-notepad-4d68c388-2ff2-40e1-4357-412d66563f0c Current Notepad help
Microsoft Store	apps.microsoft.com/detail/9msmlrh6lzf3 Store package for the Windows 11 UI
Windows help	support.microsoft.com/windows Optional features and Store issues

Related hardware

Any PC that runs Windows can run Notepad. Huge logs want RAM, not a GPU.

Technical details

Per-version file hashes and volume-license paths are not verified in this preview.

Sources and verification

Reviewed by Feex editorial. Last verified August 2026 Status: Feex Reviewed. How we research.

Microsoft Support: Notepad · Current Notepad
Microsoft Store: Notepad · Store package
Foxhole process map · First-party samples on Windows PCs. Not a lab benchmark.

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