Microsoft Introduces AI-Powered Notepad With Text Rewrite Feature in Preview

Microsoft introduced a new artificial intelligence (AI) feature to its Windows 11 operating system on Wednesday. Currently available in preview, the tech giant has added an AI-powered Rewrite feature to Notepad. With this capability, the note-taking app can edit text and offer three versions of modified content based on the user's preference. Currently, it is only available to Windows Insiders residing in select regions. Moreover, even those with access to the feature have a limited number of credits to test it out.

Microsoft Tests AI-Powered Notepad

In its Windows Insiders blog post, Microsoft detailed the new capability in the Notepad app. Notepad was originally added to Windows OS in 1983 as a text editor, which offered a quick space to write and edit text. Over the years, the tech giant has changed its appearance and functionality very little.

However, that is about to change with the new AI Rewrite feature. With this, eligible users can refine their text by rephrasing sentences, adjusting tone, or modifying the length of the content. Users also have the option to have the AI change only part of the text instead of the entire piece. The company stated that it is using a GPT AI model for this feature, without specifying the specific large language model (LLM).

AI Rewrite feature in Notepad
Photo Credit: Microsoft

To use the feature, users will need to highlight the text they want to change. Then, upon right-clicking the selected text, they will see a new “Rewrite” option. It can also be activated using the Ctrl + I shortcut. Once the AI toolbar opens, users can choose from the abovementioned rewrite options.

Notably, Windows Insiders residing in the US, France, UK, Canada, Italy, and Germany will get 50 credits to test out the feature. However, Microsoft 365 Personal and Family subscribers, as well as Copilot Pro subscribers in Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, and Thailand can use AI credits to access the feature. They get a total of 60 credits a month.

Microsoft highlights that the feature comes with pre-built content filtering and it automatically removes text that can be harmful, offensive, or inappropriate. Further, Rewrite uses cloud-based Azure to process and generate text. The tech giant stated that the online service does not store the text or generate content after processing.