Microsoft brings new features to Windows Notepad, such as AI-driven summaries. Snipping Tool gets an improved drawing function.
Microsoft is on an unbridled AI push, and even classic Windows functions like Notepad aren’t escaping it. After letting you rewrite your notes, you can now also have them summarized by AI, Microsoft announces in a blog. By selecting text, you can use the AI menu to summarize the text. You can experiment with different summary lengths. Since the disappearance of WordPad, Notepad offers an alternative for simple text editing.
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Like the AI (re)writing functions, the summaries are behind a Copilot wall. You can only use them if you’re logged in with an account that has access to Copilot. Microsoft wants to add Copilot as standard to every Office account soon, at a higher subscription price. The Notepad summaries are currently being tested with Windows 11 Insiders. If you don’t need AI functions in Notepad, you can turn them off via the app settings.
Another new feature for Notepad is not dependent on Copilot, but according to Microsoft, it’s highly requested by users. Microsoft is making it easier to open recently closed files in Notepad, allowing you to quickly resume your work. This feature is also being tested first by Insiders.
Draw and Hold
In the same blog, Microsoft also announces some new features for the Snipping Tool, the tool for making screenshots and recordings in Windows. Microsoft improves the marking capabilities for your screenshots with a ‘Draw and Hold’ function. The idea is that you can draw shapes on your screenshot with your pen, and the Snipping Tool recognizes the figure.
If you draw an arrow or a frame somewhere in your image, the Snipping Tool transforms your scribble into a neatly drawn figure as soon as you release the pen. You can still adjust the shape, size, or position of the figure before the ink ‘dries’.
Furthermore, Microsoft is launching an improved protocol experience for developers who want to call Snipping Tool functions in their own environment. The protocol is designed to offer more flexibility, security, and ease of use, and closely aligns with familiar HTTP-based interactions.