TLDR: Microsoft’s venerable Notepad application is receiving a significant upgrade with the integration of generative AI capabilities, allowing users to either rewrite existing text or generate entirely new content using Copilot. This move is part of Microsoft’s broader strategy to infuse AI into its core Windows applications, though some features require specific subscriptions or hardware.
Microsoft is significantly enhancing its long-standing Notepad application by embedding generative artificial intelligence, transforming the simple text editor into a more powerful content creation tool. This update introduces two primary AI-powered functionalities: ‘Rewrite’ and ‘Write’, leveraging Microsoft’s Copilot AI assistant.
The ‘Rewrite’ feature, initially rolled out in preview around November 2024, empowers users to modify existing text within Notepad. By highlighting a section of text, users can right-click and select ‘Rewrite’ to access options for adjusting the tone, rephrasing sentences, or altering the length of their content. The AI then generates multiple suggestions, allowing users to choose the most suitable option. This functionality was made available to Windows 11 users in select regions including the United States, France, UK, Canada, Italy, and Germany.
Building on this, a more advanced ‘Write’ feature was introduced around May 2025. This capability allows users to generate entirely new text from scratch using prompts. Users can place their cursor where new content is desired, or select existing text as a reference, then right-click and choose ‘Write’ from the Copilot menu (or use the Ctrl + Q shortcut). After entering a prompt, the AI generates text that can be reviewed, inserted, or further refined with follow-up instructions.
However, access to the ‘Write’ feature comes with certain prerequisites. It requires a Microsoft 365 or Copilot Pro subscription, and its usage consumes allotted AI credits. While the ‘Rewrite’ tool is broadly available to Windows 11 PCs, some of Microsoft’s concurrent AI enhancements for other applications, such as ‘Generative Fill’ in Paint or ‘Perfect Screenshot’ in the Snipping Tool, are initially exclusive to Snapdragon-powered Copilot+ PCs or Windows Insiders in the Canary and Dev Channels.
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This integration marks a notable evolution for Notepad, an application that has been a staple of Windows since 1983 and has historically remained a barebones text editor. Prior to these generative AI additions, Notepad received basic but long-awaited features like spellcheck and autocorrect in March 2024. The move underscores Microsoft’s aggressive push to embed AI across its entire software ecosystem, aiming to provide users with intelligent assistance directly within their everyday tools.
