Windows Notepad is About to Get More Useful

Microsoft is enhancing the functionality of its simple Notepad application, which is primarily known for basic text editing and saving files in .txt format.

The new feature, called Rewrite, will allow users to generate alternative texts tailored to their particular needs. With this feature, you can make text longer or shorter and adjust its tone or format. The tool will provide three variations of the requested text, and users can choose to generate new options if the initial suggestions do not meet their requirements.

To use the Rewrite feature, users simply need to highlight the desired text and right-click with their mouse, or press Ctrl + I on their keyboard. This action will bring up a text box containing AI-generated alternative text options, according to Microsoft’s announcement on its Windows Insider blog.

Microsoft is not alone in leveraging AI to enhance writing. The Rewrite feature is quite similar to existing tools in other platforms, such as the Summarize and Refine features available in Google Workspace and the Help Me Write feature found in ChromeOS.

The Rewrite tool will be available through a software update for Notepad version 11.2410.15.0. This update is set to reach Windows Insider users subscribed to the Canary and Dev Channels. To access the Rewrite feature in the Notepad preview, users will need a Microsoft account.

This feature is currently accessible to users on Windows 11 in the U.S., France, U.K., Canada, Italy, and Germany. Furthermore, individuals in Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, and Thailand who are subscribed to Microsoft 365 Personal, Family, or Copilot Pro can utilize AI credits to use Rewrite in Notepad.

As it stands, since Rewrite is in the preview phase, there is no information regarding a full rollout of this feature to all users.

In addition to the Rewrite feature, Microsoft has also announced updates for its Paint application, which include Generative fill and Generative erase functionalities.

Microsoft, Notepad, AI