Microsoft is enhancing its suite of classic applications – Notepad, Paint, and Snipping Tool – with a range of new AI-powered features, designed to boost user experience and productivity. These updates, rolling out to Windows Insiders in the Canary and Dev Channels, showcase Microsoft's commitment to integrating artificial intelligence into everyday tools, making them more intuitive and efficient.
Notepad, the quintessential text editor, is receiving a significant upgrade with the introduction of AI-assisted text generation. The new "Write" feature allows users to draft content or brainstorm ideas directly within the app using generative AI. Users can initiate the feature by placing the cursor where they want to insert new text, then right-clicking and choosing "Write" from the Copilot menu, or using the Ctrl + Q keyboard shortcut. A prompt dialog box will appear, allowing users to enter instructions for the AI to generate text. The AI-generated output will then appear directly on the canvas, which can be refined, accepted, or discarded.
Beyond the "Write" feature, Notepad also includes "Rewrite" and "Summarize" which are three AI-powered features that help you refine, shorten, and generate text with the assistance of GPT. Rewrite allows you to improve clarity, adjust tone, or modify the length of your content, making it easy to enhance your writing seamlessly. Summarize quickly shortens long-form text into high-level overviews, extracting key points from documents, notes, or articles to streamline your workflow. Microsoft is also adding text formatting to its Windows Notepad app. The significant Notepad update introduces bold and italic styling, alongside hyperlinks and even Markdown support.
Microsoft Paint is also getting a substantial AI infusion with a new sticker generator that lets you create custom stickers by simply typing a prompt. To get started, click on the Sticker generator button in the Copilot menu. From there, you can type in a description of the sticker you want to create, like “a cat wearing sunglasses”, and hit the Generate button. Paint will then generate a set of unique stickers based on your prompt. Once the stickers are generated, you can click on any one of them to instantly apply it to your canvas, copy the sticker for use in other applications, or save it for later. Paint is also adding object select, a smart selection tool that uses AI to help you isolate and edit individual elements in your image. To get started, click on the Object select tool in the toolbar and simply pinpoint specific elements on the canvas to select and make edits instantly. The update also brings other AI-powered tools, including Cocreator, Image Creator, and Generative Erase. Image Creator turns text prompts into images using DALL-E model, Cocreator combines text prompts with doodles to produce new artwork, and Generative Erase removes objects from an image without disturbing the background.
The Snipping Tool, a staple for screen captures, is also receiving AI-powered functionality. Perfect Screenshot is a new AI-powered feature in Snipping Tool that allows you to precisely capture content on your screen without the need to crop or resize it post-capture on your Copilot+ PC. To get started, invoke the Snipping Tool capture toolbar from within the app or by using the Print Screen keyboard shortcut. Select the Perfect screenshot button from the toolbar when in rectangle mode and start selecting a region of your screen. The tool also introduces a color picker, allowing users to identify and select color codes (HEX, RGB, or HSL) from any part of the screen. This feature is particularly useful for designers and developers who need accurate color matching. The Snipping Tool also receives enhancements that streamline the process of annotating and sharing screenshots, including improved shape recognition for cleaner markups. More intriguingly, the tool now integrates subtle AI-driven features to suggest edits or enhancements based on the content of the captured image. This could prove invaluable for professionals who rely on quick, polished visuals for presentations or documentation, further embedding AI as a silent assistant in routine tasks.
These updates, while currently limited to Windows Insiders in the Canary and Dev Channels, underscore a pivotal shift in Microsoft's approach to software development. By embedding AI into foundational apps like Paint, Snipping Tool, and Notepad, the company is not just enhancing functionality but also democratizing access to advanced technology. As these features roll out to broader audiences in the coming months, they could redefine how users interact with Windows, making everyday tasks more intuitive and efficient.
