How to Enable Artificial Intelligence in the New Windows Enhanced Paste Feature
The clipboard is a really handy feature that you’ll find in most smart technologies these days, from tablets to smartphones and even Windows and Mac PCs. The clipboard allows you to store multiple objects for pasting, but does not always provide correct formatting. This is where Microsoft’s new AI-powered system comes into play, which can adjust formatting and even change the content you paste.
The new feature is called Advanced Paste and is only available as part of the customizable PowerToys app. You can do several different things through its menu, which can be accessed using the Windows key + Shift + V. While the title feature is an AI-powered formatting aid, some other examples include using AI to summarize copied text, translate it, creating code based on it or even styling or transforming it. For example, you can copy and paste this paragraph and have Advanced Paste rewrite it in Shakespeare’s voice, without having to go into Copilot or ChatGPT first.
There are also ways to use Advanced Paste without artificial intelligence. While it can’t rewrite copied text for you, you can still format the text yourself by simply choosing between plain text, JSON, and Markdown from the drop-down menu.
If you are interested in using Advanced Paste, there are a few steps you need to follow first. To use the AI features, you also need to open your wallet. Here’s everything you need to do to get started.
How to Try Advanced Paste on Windows
To get started, download and install Microsoft PowerToys. There are several ways to do this, including usingthe official GitHub page , the Microsoft Learn page for PowerToys , or simply visiting the app’s page in the Microsoft Store . Be sure to install at least version 0.8.0.1 as it is the first to offer Advanced Paste. It’s also worth noting that PowerToys provides many other additional features – check out our favorites here .
After installing PowerToys, activate Advanced Paste. It should be visible on the first page of options, although if you don’t see it, the search bar will be able to find it. Once enabled, you can immediately start using Enhanced Paste by pressing the Windows key + Shift + V to open the menu. But if you really want to take full advantage of the AI-powered system’s capabilities, you’ll have to pay and enable them first.
How to Enable AI Features in Advanced Paste
This is where things get a little more complicated as you will need to purchase OpenAI tokens and set up an API key to actually use Advanced Paste’s AI capabilities.
To get started, go to the OpenAI API Keys page and sign in to your account. Keep in mind that using ChatGPT Plus does not give you GPT tokens. Instead, you’ll have to purchase them directly from OpenAI .
Once you’re logged into your OpenAI account, click “Create a new secret key” and then name it something like “Windows Advanced Paste.” This will allow you to keep track of which API keys your tokens are using, in case you ever notice any unusual usage.
Once the key is created, copy it and return to PowerToys. Find “Advanced Pasting” and click the “Enable” button next to “Enable AI Pasting.” Paste your API key and click “Save”.
At this point, you are ready to start using Advanced Paste with AI features enabled.