Notepad
The latest Notepad coverage — news, analysis, and updates from the WindowsNews.AI desk.
Microsoft's Paint App Now Hides a Secret AI Test Lab—But You Can't Sign Up Yet
Microsoft has quietly begun inviting Windows 11 users to join a new opt-in program called Windows AI Labs, designed to let early adopters test experimental AI features directly inside native apps...
Free Local AI Comes to Notepad on Copilot+ PCs in Latest Windows Insider Build
Microsoft has given Windows 11 Insiders in the Dev and Canary channels a triple treat this week: new generative AI features inside Notepad that can run entirely on-device, a native project file...
Microsoft Accidentally Reveals 'Windows AI Labs' Program in Paint, but Backend Remains Offline
On September 18, some Windows 11 users encountered an unexpected pop-up in Microsoft Paint: "Try experimental AI features in Paint: Sign up for Windows AI Labs programme for Paint in Settings." The...
Notepad Goes Offline: On-Device AI Arrives for Copilot+ PCs, No Subscription Needed
Microsoft just did something unexpected with its oldest app: Notepad can now reason like a modern AI, entirely on your device. Starting with a preview for Windows Insiders in the Canary and Dev...
Windows 24H2 Kills WordPad, Buries Cortana: Your Migration Roadmap
Microsoft quietly removed WordPad from Windows 11 version 24H2 this month, ending a 28-year run for the unassuming rich-text editor. The cut is the latest in a string of feature retirements that also...
Windows 11 Insider Builds Add Full-Screen Subscription Reminder, Sparking Adware Concerns
Microsoft is testing a full-screen renewal prompt in Windows 11 that appears when a Microsoft 365 subscription lapses, and early reactions from Insiders are far from welcoming. The new...
Windows 11 KB5064081 Ships Emoji 16.0 Fonts — Emoji Panel Still Shows Blanks
Microsoft has begun rolling out support for Emoji 16.0 in Windows 11 24H2 through the August 2025 optional preview update KB5064081, but users who open the Emoji Panel (Win + .) expecting to find the...
Win+Minus: Windows 11 Insiders Get Native Shortcuts for Typographic Dashes
Writers and editors who have long cursed Windows' clumsy handling of en and em dashes can finally exhale: Microsoft is rolling out native system-wide keyboard shortcuts for both characters in the...
How to Restore Classic Notepad in Windows 11 — and Run It Beside the AI-Enhanced Version
Microsoft’s decision to stuff artificial intelligence and a formatting toolbar into Notepad has left a sizable chunk of Windows users looking for an off-ramp. The good news is you don’t have to...
Notepad After 40 Years: Spellcheck and Autocorrect Arrive, with Safeguards for Coders
More than four decades after it first shipped as a bare‑bones text utility, Windows Notepad is finally learning to spell. Microsoft has begun rolling out real‑time spellcheck and autocorrect to...
Pavan Davuluri's Unified Windows-Surface Mandate Fast-Tracks Microsoft's Ambient AI Future
Microsoft has handed the reins of both Windows and Surface to a single executive, consolidating control under Pavan Davuluri in a move that signals a deep integration of hardware, software, and AI....
The End of WordPad: Microsoft’s Windows 11 24H2 Erases 30-Year Legacy, Pushes Forward with Sudo and Smarter Updates
Windows 11 version 24H2 arrives not as a gentle refresh but as a deliberate rebalancing act, jettisoning two long‑running pieces of Windows heritage—WordPad and Windows Mixed Reality—while...