You Can Try Notepad’s New AI Summarizer on Windows 11 Right Now (If You Pay)
Microsoft is adding new AI features to Notepad and Snipping in Windows 11, but there’s a catch: some of them are behind a paywall. The company is rolling out an AI feature for Notepad that can summarize articles, while the Scissors tool will let you draw shapes with ease. All of these updates are available through the Windows Insider program for those who want to try the beta software to test the new features before they are released to the general public.
New AI feature in Notepad
Following other Windows 11 updates, Notepad now allows testers to quickly summarize text in an app. You can paste text into Notepad and use the Copilot menu to try the Summarize feature, or press Ctrl-M after highlighting the text and the summary will appear in a pop-up window. However, you won’t be able to use the summing feature because you’ll need a Microsoft 365 subscription and Copilot Pro AI credits to access it. Separately, PCWorld reports that Windows will block all Notepad AI features included in a Microsoft 365 subscription.
In the same update, Microsoft said it is also bringing the ability to view recent files in Notepad. In my opinion, this is a minimal feature for an app like Notepad, so it makes sense that Microsoft would say this is a highly requested feature. If you’re running the correct beta version of Windows 11, you can go to File > Recents in Notepad to access your recently opened files. You can select the Clear List option from the same menu to remove the latest files from that menu. You can try all these Notepad features in app version 11.2501.29.0.
Scissors improve shape creation
Snipping Tool is a built-in Windows 11 screenshot app with a built-in tool for annotating those images. Thanks to the newest beta version, it has become much easier to draw shapes on screenshots. If you draw something that looks like an arrow, the Snipping Tool will automatically turn it into a straight line with a pointer at one end. While the app has always offered users the ability to draw different shapes on a screenshot, this new tool should save time by eliminating the need to select the correct shape. Just start drawing the shape you want and the Scissors tool will take care of the rest. This update is available for Scissors version 11.2502.18.0.
How to access the latest Windows 11 features
If you want to try these new features, you’ll need to join the Windows Insider program. If you choose to do this, you will be running unstable builds of Windows 11 on your computer, so be sure to take a full backup of your computer and be prepared for crashes, random system freezes, and compatibility issues when using your computer. Go to the Microsoft website on your Windows 11 PC and click the “Sign Up” button to sign up for the Windows Insider Program. Then go to Settings > Windows Update > Windows Insider Program on your computer and follow the onscreen instructions to join the program. To receive the updates mentioned in this article, you will need to be in the Dev or Canary channels of the Windows 11 Insider program.