Microsoft pushed generative and assistive AI features into three classic Windows apps on September 17, 2025, delivering Insider builds that turn Notepad into a text assistant, Paint into a layered project canvas, and Snipping Tool into a smart capture utility. The most notable change: on Copilot+ PCs, Notepad’s new Summarize, Write, and Rewrite functions run locally without a subscription.

The Concrete Updates

The Insider builds—available now in the Canary and Dev channels—bring the following specific versions and features.

Notepad (version 11.2508.28.0)
Three generative functions appear discretely within the editor:
- Summarize condenses selected text to a configurable length.
- Write generates new text from a freeform prompt or expands a rough draft.
- Rewrite rephrases, adjusts tone, or changes length of existing text.
On Copilot+ hardware, these run on-device via the NPU—no Microsoft 365 subscription required. Signed-in users with a subscription can optionally switch to cloud models for broader language support or more complex tasks. Cloud fallback is automatically available when local models can’t handle the request. Initially, only English is supported for on-device inference.

Paint (version 11.2508.361.0)
Two long-requested workflow additions arrive:
- Save as project (.paint) saves the entire session—layers, order, edit state—so work can resume later without flattening or rebuilding.
- Opacity slider for the Pencil and Brush tools enables transparent strokes, making basic shading and glazing possible without third-party software.
These join Paint’s earlier generative features (Cocreator, sticker generator, generative fill and erase) already accessible from the Copilot button.

Snipping Tool (version 11.2508.24.0)
- Quick markup overlays annotation tools (pen, highlighter, shapes, emoji) before the screenshot is finalized, collapsing the old capture-then-edit flow into one step. Recropping grabbers let you adjust the selection area during markup.
- Actions like Share, Visual Search with Bing, and Ask Copilot are surfaced directly in the capture overlay. Microsoft notes these actions deliberately do not autosave or copy the image to the clipboard to reduce accidental data leaks.
Earlier in 2025, Snipping Tool gained Text Extractor, an OCR feature that pulls text from any captured image and can copy all text, remove line breaks, or auto-copy to the clipboard.

What It Means for You

Home users
If you own a Copilot+ PC (Snapdragon X Elite/Plus devices, some Intel Lunar Lake and AMD Ryzen AI 300 systems), Notepad becomes a free, private text assistant that works offline. No subscription, no cloud roundtrip. Paint’s .paint files let you save layered projects for the first time—great for school projects or iterative memes. The opacity slider finally makes digital painting feel less flat. Snipping Tool’s Quick markup and OCR are immediate time-savers: annotate a screenshot before saving, grab text from a scanned document in seconds.

Power users and enthusiasts
You’ll want to compare the quality of Notepad’s on-device outputs against cloud fallback. Run the same prompt on a Copilot+ PC and a non-Copilot+ machine to gauge accuracy, latency, and resource usage. The .paint format is proprietary—test whether it exports to standard formats without losing layers before committing to it for collaborative work. Snipping Tool’s Quick markup can replace third-party annotation tools for quick edits, but note that Visual Search and Copilot actions initiate cloud connections.

IT administrators and enterprise teams
This rollout introduces fragmentation: features vary by hardware certification, Insider channel, and subscription tier. Before broad deployment, pilot on representative Copilot+ hardware. Measure NPU and RAM consumption of local Notepad models under typical workloads. Update data loss prevention (DLP) and eDiscovery policies to account for Snipping Tool’s cloud actions and any clipboard management changes. Treat the .paint format as a potential lock-in risk until Microsoft documents interoperability. You can disable Notepad’s AI features entirely via its settings, but that won’t affect Paint or Snipping Tool—each app controls its own AI toggles.

How We Got Here

Microsoft’s inbox-app AI strategy began picking up speed in early 2024. Paint received a background removal tool, then Cocreator integration, then generative fill and erase. Snipping Tool got video capture, followed by OCR-based Text Extractor in early 2025. Notepad acquired a tabbed interface, auto-save, and then a Rewrite feature powered by GPT in late 2024—that early Rewrite was cloud-only and required sign-in. The September 17, 2025 flight is the first to combine generative writing, art, and capture intelligence in a single coordinated update, and it’s the first to bring on-device AI to Notepad for those with the right silicon.

This pattern reflects a deliberate shift: Microsoft is threading AI into the OS by upgrading tools people already use daily. Rather than asking users to adopt Copilot as a separate app, the company is making AI ambient—present in a right-click, a toolbar button, or a text selection. The Insider channels serve as an expansive test bed; features first land there, gather telemetry, then roll out to Stable Windows 11 once refined.

What to Do Now

  • If you’re in the Canary or Dev channel: install the latest build, open the apps, and test the workflows that matter to you. Pay attention to language limitations (English only for Notepad’s on-device AI) and verify any generated text before relying on it. Use Feedback Hub to report bugs or unexpected behavior.
  • If you’re on a production machine: you can wait. These features will arrive on the Stable channel eventually, likely after several rounds of refinement. If you’re curious but cautious, consider setting up a Hyper‑V virtual machine enrolled in Dev channel for safe testing.
  • If you manage a fleet: review which devices qualify as Copilot+ and document hardware gaps. Start a pilot group with a small set of Copilot+ PCs. Check whether your existing DLP/eDiscovery tools can monitor data flow through Visual Search or cloud fallback. Draft an internal advisory for employees about AI-generated content verification and save policies.
  • For everyone: you can disable AI features if they’re unwanted. In Notepad, go to Settings → AI features and toggle off “Show AI features.” Paint and Snipping Tool have similar per-app controls. Disabling cloud fallback for Notepad may require signing out of the Microsoft account linked to the app.

What to Watch Next

Microsoft hasn’t published technical specifications for the on-device models—model size, architecture, NPU requirements, update cadence—which will be crucial for enterprise planning and privacy audits. The .paint file format’s compatibility with third-party tools remains unknown. And the broader rollout timeline from Insider to Stable is always in flux; expect these features to land for all Windows 11 users in stages over the coming months. For now, the update is a low-risk experiment with real utility, signaling a future where AI isn’t a separate tab but the fabric of everyday computing.