Windows Notepad picks up ARM64 support, while Media Player can now sort songs and albums by date added

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Insiders get first dibs on an updated Notepad, now with ARM64 support and improved performance, while the new Media Player gets a top requested feature.

Media Player Windows 11
(Image credit: Future)
  • Microsoft is updating Notepad and Media Player for Windows Insiders.
  • The updated apps bring new features, and Notepad now runs natively on ARM.
  • The updates are primarily for those on versions 11 11.2205 of the apps and higher to Windows Insiders in the Dev Channel.

Microsoft’s continued push to make everything run natively on ARM64 took another small step forward today. Notepad, one of the oldest apps still kicking around, can now run natively on ARM devices like Surface Pro X and the Lenovo ThinkPad X13s.

There’s more to the update, however. Improved performance when scrolling large files and improved accessibility is also included. The updated app is being pushed out to various channels as there appear to be several builds. Here’s the breakdown from Microsoft:

  • Native ARM64 support: We’ve improved the Notepad experience on ARM64 devices on versions 11.2204 and higher available in all channels. You’ll see faster and better performance when you use the app.
  • Improved performance: In addition to the improved performance on ARM64 devices, you’ll notice additional performance improvements—especially when scrolling very large files or replacing large of text—across all devices in version 11.2205 and higher available in the Dev channel.
  • Improved accessibility: Improved support for screen readers, text scaling, access keys, and other assistive technologies are available starting in version 11.2204 and higher in all channels, with additional improvements in version 11.2205 and higher available in the Dev channel.

Windows on ARM has been getting a big push lately. For instance, Spotify now has a beta version of its app that runs native on ARM64, and just this morning, PowerToys also picked up native ARM support. The news comes as Microsoft is prepping to release its “Project Volterra” dev kit for ARM, which is expected further to drive the conversion of older x86 apps to ARM64.

Media Player, which replaced the old Groove music app, is also getting new features, precisely one that is highly requested: Users can now sort songs and albums in your collection by date added.

Microsoft also notes “performance improvements for users with large media collections,” as well.

Finally, the company notes CD Playback has also been refined with “improvements to better adapt to theme changes and to the media content drag and drop experience.”

These updates for Media Player come in version 11 11.2205 and higher to Windows Insiders in the Dev Channel.

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Daniel Rubino
Daniel Rubino
Editor-in-chief

Daniel Rubino is the Editor-in-chief of Windows Central. He is also the head reviewer, podcast co-host, and analyst. He has been covering Microsoft since 2007, when this site was called WMExperts (and later Windows Phone Central). His interests include Windows, laptops, next-gen computing, and watches. He has been reviewing laptops since 2015 and is particularly fond of 2-in-1 convertibles, ARM processors, new form factors, and thin-and-light PCs. Before all this tech stuff, he worked on a Ph.D. in linguistics, watched people sleep (for medical purposes!), and ran the projectors at movie theaters because it was fun.