You can still use Notepad in Windows 11 without a Microsoft account — unless you enable AI

For the past few days, users of the social network X have been discussing a screenshot of forced registration with a Microsoft account, which the Windows 11 operating system requires. The author of the publication said that a message requiring authorization in a Microsoft account appears when starting Notepad, but it seems that this is not entirely true.

Image source: @TheBobPony / X

While this screenshot is real, any Windows 11 user can interact with the updated Notepad without having to sign in with a Microsoft account. In this case, the gist of the user’s problem can be seen in the description of the pop-up window. It says that signing in with a Microsoft account is required to use the Rewrite AI feature. Apparently, this message only appears on Copilot Plus PCs when the user clicks the Rewrite button in Notepad.

Not all Windows users are happy with Microsoft adding more neural network-based features to its operating system. However, in this case, the debate seems overblown, since Windows 11 users can still interact freely with Notepad without using AI features. At the same time, not everyone may be happy with Microsoft adding AI tools to a lightweight and simple text editor that itself does not imply the presence of neural network-based features.