Notepad in Dark mode in Windows 11

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Windows 11 build 22509 in the insider channel comes with Notepad in dark mode. Notepad never came in dark mode. Since inception of the Windows operating system, Notepad app has always come in the single default theme. This is obviously going to change, as Windows 11 allows you to choose dark or custom or light theme for the notepad add.

How can I get Notepad dark theme in Windows 11?

Windows 11 Notepad app is being tested with a dark mode in the Windows 11 Insider channel build number 22509. The feature has been made available in the insider channel. The notepad app version that supports the dark theme on notepad is the version 11.2110.64.0.

Notepad app comes with light and dark themes as part of the Windows 11 operating system build 22509. You could also configure the notepad themes to inherit the theme based on the system defaults.

Changing the theme on the notepad app on a Windows 11 computer is a straight forward process. You will need to change the theme of the app through the app settings of notepad. Below, we look at step by step approach to bringing up the dark theme on Notepad app on a Windows 11 computer.

Launch the notepad app. You can do so by typing or searching notepad on the search box on the Windows 11 taskbar. You could, alternatively, launch the notepad app by going into the Control Panel —-> System —–> Apps —–> Installed apps.

2. Once the notepad app opens and loads a blank document, you will see a gear icon on the top right corner of the notepad app. This should be right below the title bar of the notepad app. See the image below to locate the gear icon that corresponds to settings of the notepad app on a Windows 11 computer.

3. Click on the drop down sign next to the option that states – “App theme” with a description that states “Select which app theme to display.”. The image below shows you the ‘App theme” option on the notepad app’s settings screen.

4. You get three options to set the theme used by notepad. There is a setting to change the theme of notepad app to:

light theme
dark theme
system setting

For now, we will choose the radio button next to the dark theme. This will change the theme on the Notepad app on a Windows 11 computer to the dark theme. The change is applied instantaneously. You can change the theme from the dark theme to light theme at any point of time by following the same set of directions. The image below shows you the three theme options that are available on the notepad app on a Windows 11 computer.

Your Windows 11 computer could be running the light theme and you could configure notepad to work in the dark theme. Once you have changed the settings of the notepad app theme, the app will continue to load in the chosen theme. This would include instances of a fresh launch of the notepad app. Theme changes are permanent across multiple system sessions and logins. To make changes, you will need to alter the notepad app theme settings.

Do bear in mind though that the notepad themes are available in Windows 11 insider channel build 22509 right now. The stable version will eventually have the notepad app’s light and dark themes in due course of time. Also, it may be worth taking a note of the notepad app version that supports theme customization for the notepad app on a Windows 11 computer. The version of the notepad app that allows the dark theme to be used on a Windows 11 computer is the notepad 11.2110.64.0 version.

The option of ‘System setting’ on the notepad app’s theme customization implies that notepad will inherit the theme colors of the Windows 11 computer.

I cannot see themes on my notepad app?

Possibly, you may not be able to see the notepad app’s theme customization settings on your Windows 11 computer. In such cases, we suggest that you check the version of the notepad app on your computer. Notepad app version 11.2110.64.0 supports theme customization between light, dark or system inherited theme on the app.

Also, the feature is currently (as of November 2021) available on the Windows 11 insider channel and on the build 22509. The feature is likely to be rolled out as a stable release feature update sometime soon in the near future. Until that time, you may want to wait for the corresponding feature update on the Windows 11 computer.

Conclusion

Notepad app has seen a new feature fulfillment on the Windows 11 computer. Insider channel of Windows 11 has received the latest build number 22509. In this build, the notepad app has been upgraded to include a dark theme. You could move between light and dark theme at any point of time. Notepad app’s theme customization is a pretty straight forward case on a Windows 11 computer.

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Rajesh Dhawan

Rajesh Dhawan is a technology professional who loves to blog about smart wearables, Cloud computing and Microsoft technologies. He loves to break complex problems into manageable chunks of meaningful information.