Notepad, the classic text editor that has been part of Windows since its early days, is getting a new generative AI feature. Microsoft hasn’t officially made any announcement, but the latest preview of Windows 11 (via @PhantomOfEarth in X) reveals code that points out a new “Cowritter” feature that could arrive in upcoming updates that will allow users to experience a new level of assistance in their writing text.
The new AI feature appears in the top-right corner, and it seems that users will have different options, including “Rewrite,” “Make shorter,” “Make longer,” “Change tone,” and “Change format.” Although the options are self-explanatory, it’s unclear how the chatbot integration will work in Notepad.
Also, it’s interesting to note that Notepad’s Cowriter will include a credit system similar to the one found in the Paint app with the Cocreator feature to create images with AI, meaning you will have a limited number of tries to use the chatbot. It’s also unclear whether users will have to pay for extra credits or wait a certain amount of time before the credits get replenished again, or the AI will simply run a lower priority when the user runs out of tries.
Furthermore, @teroalhonen on X has discovered various system files referring to this Cowriter for Notepad, including a marketing image that shows a preview of the AI feature in action. The image shows a floating interface as the user selects some text with options to change the length, tone, and format and choose different instructions. In addition, there are options to rewrite and replace the text, among other settings.
The interface is similar to the Copilot experience the company is working on for the Microsoft 365 apps, including Word, Outlook, and PowerPoint.
Since the code already appears integrated into Windows 11, this could indicate that Microsoft could soon start testing the feature with participants of the Windows Insider Program before making the feature available in the stable channel.
Although Notepad remained unchanged for many years, since the release of Windows 11, the company has been improving the note-taking app in many ways with a fresh interface with dark mode support, tab system, new text support, the ability to keep unsaved content even after restarting the computer, and recently, the team added a character counter. However, Microsoft appears to be taking Notepad to the next level with AI.
The software giant is already working on the next major release of Windows (internally known as Hudson Valley) that will focus on integrating AI more deeply into the operating system and products, including Notepad, as we see today.
Some of these new AI-powered integrations and features include enhancements for Windows Search, a new timeline feature, automatic upscaling capabilities for videos and games, live wallpapers, and more.
As Microsoft has said, 2024 is a big year for AI on Windows. Furthermore, the company even announced that new computers will soon start shipping a new Copilot key on keyboards.
Although these are great innovations, I do share some skepticism with many other people about the many AI features coming to Windows that may end up bloating the system even more. Also, these features could pose a privacy concern and cause users to switch to another platform.