Microsoft shoves AI features into even more Windows 11 apps including Paint and Notepad

It seems that even legacy apps are not immune to artificial intelligence. Microsoft has just rolled out a new Insider build of Windows 11 that sees the arrival of AI-powered features in Paint and Notepad.

While these are both stalwarts of the Windows app arena, they also feel like unusual targets for updating with such cutting-edge features. But this is precisely what Microsoft is doing, furnishing Notepad with a handy AI-driven Rewrite feature, and Paint with clever fill and erase options.

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For now, the new AI-powered features are limited to Windows Insiders signed up to the Canary or Dev channels, but they give a glimpse of what’s on the horizon for everyone.

For users of Paint, Generative Fill apes the powerful options found in much more professional image editing tools. After selecting an area of an image, you can use a text description to choose what you’d like to add to your creation. Microsoft says:

Whether you’re a seasoned artist looking to add intricate details or a hobbyist experimenting with new ideas, generative fill helps you fine-tune your digital art, with just enough AI to assist you in realizing your creative vision while remaining in full control of the output.

To get started, use the Selection tool in Paint toolbar to make a Rectangle or Free-form selection. Upon selecting the area, you will see a small menu pop up anchored to your selection. Select the Generative fill option on the menu, use the text box to describe what you want to add to your selection, and hit Create.

Generative Erase does very much what you’d expect, making it possible to remove elements from an image and have the background filled in for you.

The Rewrite feature for Notepad adds the ability to “rephrase sentences, adjust the tone, and modify the length of your content based on your preferences to refine your text.”

Microsoft says:

To get started, select the text you want to rewrite, then right-click and choose the Rewrite option, select Rewrite from the menu bar, or use the Ctrl + I keyboard shortcut. Notepad will generate three variations of the rewritten text for you to choose from. Select one, or if you want to further refine the output, you can customize rewrite settings and click Retry to generate additional versions.

Options to make your content longer or shorter and modifying the tone or format let you easily adjust your content for specific goals. The previous versions are still preserved in the current dialog, so you can easily revert to earlier versions if needed. If you prefer, you can disable the rewrite feature in app settings.

While the Generative Erase feature of Paint and Rewrite feature of Notepad are being made available to all Canary and Dev channel users, Microsoft points out that “Generative fill will initially be available on Snapdragon-powered Copilot+ PCs”.