Microsoft is adding free AI-powered text writing capabilities to Notepad for customers with Copilot+ PCs running Windows 11.
Currently, this change is being rolled out to Windows 11 Insiders in the Canary and Dev Channels, who have upgraded to Notepad version 11.2508.28.0.
The AI-powered text summarization, text rewriting, and text generation features introduced for Windows 11 users over the last year are normally available with Microsoft 365 Personal, Family, and Copilot Pro subscriptions.
The features will only work exclusively to generate or manipulate English content, and customers will have the option to switch between local and cloud AI models if they have a Microsoft 365 subscription.
“Notepad now supports AI features like Summarize, Write, and Rewrite on Copilot+ PCs, with no subscription required. If you have a subscription, you can seamlessly switch between local and cloud models based on your needs,” said Dave Grochocki, Principal Group Product Manager for Windows Inbox Apps.
“If you’re not signed in or don’t have a subscription, you can use the local model to accomplish your tasks. For now, these features support English only, making premium AI more accessible and flexible for everyone.”
However, users who don’t want these new AI options can disable them from the settings or uninstall the Windows Notepad app to use the built-in notepad.exe program.
After launching a fully redesigned Notepad app for Windows 11 in December 2021, Microsoft added support for multiple tabs and a built-in character counter.
Since then, Notepad has also been upgraded with text formatting, spell-check, and autocorrect features to help users correct spelling mistakes automatically as they type.
On Wednesday, Grochocki also announced that the Paint app is getting support for Photoshop-like project files and an opacity slider for the Pencil and Brush tools after upgrading to version 11.2508.361.0.
Snipping Tool version 11.2508.24.0 also introduces a “Quick markup” feature, which enables faster screenshot annotation before saving.
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