A Microsoft employee accidentally announced that the Notepad app in Windows 11 would receive tabs. A senior product manager posted a photo of a version of Notepad with them.

The tweet was deleted after a few minutes, but was noticed by some media and enthusiasts. The employee's screenshot read, "Confidential. Do not discuss features or take screenshots." This warning means that the tabs feature is in early internal testing at Microsoft and could become available to members of the Windows pre-approval programme in early 2023.
Earlier this year, Microsoft added tabs to Explorer. The company originally tested tabs in all Windows 10 apps four years ago in a feature called "Sets". It also included support for tabs in Notepad and Explorer, but Microsoft eventually cancelled the project.
The addition of tabs in Notepad could signal a move to them in most Windows embedded apps.
Microsoft had already introduced a redesigned Notepad app in 2022. It has added a dark theme that can automatically adjust to the system's layout, support for emoji and multi-level undo, document search and replacement of words and entire constructions.