#Fix Notepad is missing after KB4565503 Windows 10 build 19041.388

Yesterday, Microsoft has released KB4565503 to Windows 10 version 2004. Users who have installed the update now report that it made Notepad and Paint vanish from the OS. If you are affected, a workaround is quite simple.

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Microsoft has made Notepad, Paint, and WordPad optional features in latest Windows 10 version. Notepad, in addition to this change, is also has its own place on the Microsoft Store. The latter change allows Microsoft to update the app separately from the OS.

Also, users can install or uninstall all three apps on demand. By default, the apps are preinstalled, i.e. bundled with the OS as it was in previous Windows releases.

It looks like there is a bug in Windows servicing that has come with latest cumulative updates. Users are now reporting that Notepad, and Paint for some, have been removed. It is easy to undone this change by performing the simple steps below.

To fix missing Notepad after KB4565503 Windows 10 build 19041.388,

1. Open Settings.
2. Navigate to Apps > Apps & features.
3. On the right, click on Manage Optional features.
4. Click on Add a feature.
5. Select Notepad from the list of available features.
6. Click on the Install button.
7. This will install Notepad.

You are done!

If along or instead of Notepad, the buggy update has removed Microsoft Paint, you can also restore it by doing the same.

To fix missing Notepad after KB4565503 Windows 10 build 19041.388,

1. Open Settings.
2. Navigate to Apps > Apps & features.
3. Click on the Optional features link on the right.
4. On the next page, click on the button Add a feature.
5. Finally, on the next page find the classic Paint app in the list and tick the checkbox at the left of it.
6. Click on the Install button.

You are done.

Actually, such removals had happened earlier, with KB4566866. For some users, KB4566866 which addresses the “Print spooler stopped unexpectedly” issue, had uninstalled Notepad. Prior to July’s Patch Tuesday, the number of affected users was relatively small. However, it looks like the issue is now getting worse.

Source: Reddit. Thanks to GeekerMag for the heads-up.

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