Notepad sheds Copilot from toolbar as Microsoft gives subtlety a try

AI gubbins still there, just tucked under 'Writing Tools'

Copilot is on its way out of Notepad, but a return to the basic text editor is not on the cards.

The Copilot button is reportedly missing from the latest Windows Insider build of Notepad. However, the omission speaks more to how toxic the Copilot brand has become than to the company rethinking its strategy of spraying AI across its product line.

Users hoping that the move might signify a change of heart at Redmond will be disappointed. The AI features are still there, but now under an option called "Writing Tools" with a pen icon. Users don't have to use them and can switch them off entirely. The mere presence of a toolbar in the previously clutter-free Notepad will still stick in the craw of some users, but at least the Copilot icon won't be there anymore.

In March, Windows boss Pavan Davuluri wrote: "We are reducing unnecessary Copilot entry points, starting with apps like Snipping Tool, Photos, Widgets, and Notepad." The replacement of the Copilot button in Notepad feels like the fulfillment of his promise, even if the underlying AI services aren't going anywhere. Other applications that have been daubed with the Copilot brush are therefore likely to follow suit as Microsoft adopts a more thoughtful approach to how and where the brand is used.

Although many users will welcome the change in icon, other tweaks to Notepad remain, for better or worse. Microsoft has spent the past few years gradually adding features to the venerable text editor until it is less a simple text editor and more a pad onto which a person might write words.

Microsoft's stripped-down word processor, WordPad, was deprecated in 2023 and removed entirely soon after. It would have been the ideal candidate for the writing tools added to Notepad, as well as the formatting options now found in the text editor.

The removal of the Copilot button from Notepad suggests Microsoft is rethinking its approach to putting the assistant front and center. However, changes beyond cosmetic icon swaps are needed in Windows before customers believe the company is serious about regaining their trust. ®