To use Notepad in Windows, you will need to sign in with a Microsoft account

To use Notepad in Windows, you will need to sign in with a Microsoft account

There are two things I thought I would never see in this lifetime: the return of incandescent light bulbs and signing into Notepad in Windows. But here it is... Notepad in Windows 11 now asks you to sign in with a Microsoft account.

For decades, Windows Notepad has been a notebook for writing things down. That’s all. Its extreme simplicity has been the key to its success and the reason it’s lasted so long.

But it turns out that in the latest update to Notepad in Windows 11, version 11.2410.21.0, Microsoft added the ability to sign in with a Microsoft account. What is the purpose of this?

It should be said that in recent months, Microsoft has been adding new features to Notepad in Windows 11, making it more like a text editor than a simple notepad. At first, it seems that Notepad doesn’t have to include a login. The reason is that Notepad already integrates Copilot in the Insider build, and you need to be logged in to use its generative AI.

As Microsoft itself explains, “Sign in with your Microsoft account to use Rewrite and its features in Notepad. When you sign in, Microsoft collects information about your requests for security and AI protection purposes.”

Once this release reaches end users, you will need to sign in with a Microsoft account to use AI in Notepad in Windows 11.

The Rewrite feature lets you use Copilot’s generative AI to rewrite or generate text simply by asking it with a prompt. The cost is the same as with all AI: recording and tracking everything you do with it.

It's important to note that Microsoft won't ask you to sign in to use Notepad, but if you don't, you won't be able to use the AI.

There's nothing special about Windows anymore: even the simple Notepad program will now ask you to log in so it can use Copilot and record what you do with AI.