Microsoft’s latest Windows 11 Insider build is turning some of your most familiar apps—Notepad, Paint, and Snipping Tool—into AI-powered sidekicks that can draft text, spin up graphics, and capture screens with uncanny precision. Rolling out now to Windows Insiders in the Canary and Dev channels (on Copilot+ PCs), this upgrade is one of the most sweeping waves of generative AI features Microsoft has unleashed on its core utilities to date.

For decades, Notepad has been the archetype of simplicity: a barebones text editor for jotting down quick notes or peeking under the hood of plain-text files. This update flips that script with a new “Write” feature tucked into Windows’ Copilot menu. Here’s how it works:

1. Invoke Write. In an open Notepad document, right-click where you’d like new text—or select existing text to build upon—and choose Write from the Copilot menu.
2. Enter your prompt. A dialog appears, letting you type instructions such as “Draft an email inviting colleagues to Friday’s demo” or “Expand on this paragraph with three supporting examples.”
3. Review, refine, repeat. The AI-generated text drops into your document. Keep it, discard it, or refine further with follow-up prompts until it fits.

Write builds on two earlier AI tools in Notepad:

• Summarize, which can condense selected text into shorter overviews (introduced March 2025).
• Rewrite, which rephrases, adjusts tone, or alters the length of highlighted text (began testing November 2024).

All of these require you to be signed in with a Microsoft account, tapping into the same credit-based AI system powering Copilot. Microsoft hasn’t yet detailed pricing for those credits if and when they move beyond the preview phase.

Paint’s humble legacy as a pixel-pusher has gotten a major AI injection, with three new Copilot menu tools:

• Sticker generator. Type a description like “retro cassette tape” or “cartoon panda drinking coffee,” and the AI spins up a set of stickers you can drag onto your canvas or copy into other apps.
• Generative fill & erase. First teased last November, Generative Fill lets you write around a photo and have AI seamlessly fill in that space, while Generative Erase can remove objects and blend the background effortlessly.
• Object select. An AI-driven marquee that automatically detects and isolates parts of your image—trees, people, logos—so you can move or edit them without pixel-perfect manual tracing.

Behind the scenes, these updates lean on Microsoft’s growing Copilot+ infrastructure, which prioritizes performance on Snapdragon-powered Windows 11 devices but works broadly across Copilot+ PCs.

Snipping Tool has quietly evolved from a simple screen grab utility into a feature-rich toolkit. This build introduces:

• Perfect screenshot. When framing with the Rectangle tool, hit the new button and AI will automatically resize your selection to the most pertinent area—no more off-center or half-cropped captures. You still get manual drag handles to tweak further before hitting “Capture.”
• Color picker. Hover to sample any pixel and instantly see its HEX, RGB, or HSL values. Scroll or use Ctrl +/- to zoom in for pixel-level precision.

These incremental improvements hint at Microsoft’s broader strategy: bake generative AI into the fabric of everyday tools so that writing an email, cleaning up a photo, or sharing a screenshot feels smarter and faster. Rather than isolate AI in one “app of the future,” Microsoft is weaving it into the workflows millions rely on daily.

For Windows Insiders, the benefits are immediate: tasks that once required switching between specialized AI apps and core Windows utilities can now happen right where your hands already are. But beyond the preview channels, questions remain:

• Will AI someday overtake third-party writing tools? Notepad isn’t about complex formatting or grammar checks—it’s about quick, plain-text drafting. These features may not replace Word or dedicated AI writing platforms but could reshape how we capture raw ideas.
• How will pricing and credits evolve? The credit-based model works for preview testing, but Microsoft will need a clear, competitive pricing strategy to keep users invested once the initial buzz wears off.
• What about privacy? Pushing sensitive screenshots or proprietary notes through cloud AI raises data security questions. Microsoft offers controls to disable AI features, but corporate users will be watching here closely.

As Windows 11 continues to mature, we can expect more AI-driven refinements across the OS and built-in apps. The latest update brings a taste of that future: a world where your text editor can ghostwrite for you, your paint app can conjure art on command, and your screen capture tool knows exactly what you need.

If you’re running Windows 11 on a Copilot+ PC, jump into the Canary or Dev channel to take these features for a spin. For the rest of us, keep an eye on Windows Update and your Microsoft account dashboard—when the credits system goes public, this glimpse into AI-supercharged productivity will extend beyond the insider ring.