Microsoft Expands AI Features in Notepad, Paint, and Snipping Tool for Windows

Over the past three and a half years, Microsoft has transformed its classic Notepad application from a rarely updated tool into a modern editor with integrated generative AI capabilities. Initially, updates to Notepad were infrequent, but since late 2021, Microsoft has accelerated its development, focusing heavily on AI-powered features. Notably, the app now allows users to rewrite, summarize, or even generate new text from scratch using simple instructions, provided they are signed in with a Microsoft Account. These AI features require the use of monthly AI credits, with free users receiving 15 credits and Microsoft 365 subscribers getting 60 per month. Users can disable these features or avoid them by using a local account.

Microsoft is also updating other long-standing Windows apps, including Paint and Snipping Tool. Paint now offers AI-driven tools like a sticker generator and a smart select function to help users isolate and edit parts of images. A new welcome screen introduces these features. The Snipping Tool gains a color picker for identifying color values and a ‘perfect screenshot’ option that uses local AI processing to automatically crop screenshots, available only on new Copilot+ PCs with specific processors. These updates are currently available to Windows Insiders in the Canary and Dev channels, with broader public release expected in the coming months. Not all features may make it to general release, but the trend clearly shows Microsoft’s commitment to embedding AI throughout its core Windows applications.