How to replace Notepad with Microsoft Edit on Windows 11 (and why)

• Notepad on Windows 11 is no longer a minimal text editor on Windows 11.
• Microsoft Edit offers a lightweight, AI-free alternative, and even though it runs inside Windows Terminal, it supports mouse and keyboard.
• You can configure Edit to feel like a Notepad replacement.

On Windows 11, you can replace Notepad entirely and use Microsoft Edit as your primary text editor, and in this guide, I will show you how to do it.

For decades, Notepad has been the default choice for quickly opening and editing text files. It was lightweight, fast, and intentionally limited, making it ideal for power users who needed to view or modify plain text without distractions. However, the modern version of Notepad has moved far beyond that original purpose.

Today, Notepad includes features like emoji support, Markdown-style formatting, tabs, autosave, and multiple AI-powered tools. Some of these features require signing in with a Microsoft account, and while the AI integrations can be disabled, the app no longer feels like a minimal utility. For many users, especially those who value simplicity or privacy, this evolution has raised concerns about telemetry, background services, and the app’s overall direction.

If your goal is to use a truly basic text editor that does exactly one job and nothing more, Microsoft Edit is a compelling alternative. Edit is a command-line text editor that Microsoft has quietly brought back for Windows 11. Although it runs in a Terminal window, it is not limited to keyboard-only workflows. You can use both the keyboard and mouse, navigate menus, select text, and perform common editing tasks with ease.

And most importantly, Microsoft Edit does not include AI features, cloud integration, or account requirements. It is fast, lightweight, and focused solely on plain-text editing. For users who miss the old-school simplicity of Notepad or prefer tools that stay out of the way, Edit offers a clean, reliable experience that feels purpose-built for power users on Windows 11.

In this guide, I’ll outline the steps to make Microsoft Edit your new basic text editor on Windows 11.

Configure Microsoft Edit as your text file editor on Windows 11

Sure, you can open the Windows Terminal and then launch the Edit tool, but if you want to make the tool a more Notepad-like experience, you’ll have to perform some additional action.

For example, you want to create a dedicated profile for Microsoft Edit with a custom color scheme to make the experience more similar to Notepad’s interface, and you want to provide more direct access to the tool.

To set Microsoft Edit as your basic text editor on Windows 11, follow these steps:

1. Open Start.

2. Search for Windows Terminal, right-click the top result, and select the Run as administrator option.

3. Open the main menu and click on Settings (Ctrl+,).

4. Click the “Add a new profile” option from the left pane.

5. Select the Command Prompt option in the “Duplicate a profile” setting.

   

6. Click the Save button.

7. Click on the newly created profile from the left pane.

8. Click the Name setting.

9. Confirm the MicrosoftEdit name.

10. Click the Command line setting.

11. Confirm edit.exe as the default app for the Terminal.

    

12. Click on Appearance under the “Additional settings” section.

13. Choose the Tango Light option for the “Color scheme” setting.

    

14. Click the Save button.

15. Open the Settings app.

16. Click on Apps.

17. Click the Defaults app page.

18. Search for .txt in the “Set a default for a file type or link type” box and select the top result.

19. Click the default app for text files (such as Notepad).

    

20. Click the “Choose an app on your PC” option.

    

21. Open the following path:

    C:\Windows\System32

22. Select the edit.exe file.

    

23. Click the Open button.

    Quick note: You may need to repeat steps 19 through 23 if you don’t see “Microsoft Edit” in the list of default apps.

24. Click the Set default button.

    

Once you complete the steps, the next time you double-click a text file, it’ll open with the Microsoft Edit tool. Alternatively, you can always open the Edit tool from the Start menu, and then open or create new files from the “File” menu.

If you want to make the command-line text editor the default for other text files, such as .log, .ini, .bat, .cmd, or any other, you only have to repeat steps 15 through 24. Alternatively, open Settings > Apps > Default apps > Notepad and then select the edit.exe file for each of the file types.

This is a screenshot of the Microsoft Edit tool with a color scheme similar to the one in Notepad. While in this tool, you’ll still have access to all the basic features that made Notepad a simple text editor, including no fancy features, no AI, support for word wrap, search and replace, line count, and, more importantly, you can use the mouse and keyboard.