Microsoft’s latest Insider flights fold a surprising mix of practical productivity tweaks and aggressive Copilot surface changes into Windows 11 — Paint gains an editable project format and per‑tool opacity, Snipping Tool gets a pre‑capture Quick Markup workflow, Notepad is preparing AI writing...
Microsoft is rolling meaningful updates to three of Windows 11’s most-used inbox apps — Paint, Snipping Tool, and Notepad — delivering editable project files, faster in-capture markup, and local AI capabilities on Copilot+ hardware that together nudge these utilities from “basic” toward...
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windows 11
Microsoft has quietly begun shipping a coordinated set of updates to three of Windows 11’s oldest built‑in utilities — Paint, Snipping Tool, and Notepad — turning small, familiar tools into more capable, workflow‑friendly apps and proving once again that Microsoft is using inbox apps as a...
Microsoft has begun rolling out a coordinated set of updates to three of Windows 11’s oldest built‑in utilities — Paint, Snipping Tool, and Notepad — to Windows Insiders in the Canary and Dev channels, delivering a mix of practical workflow improvements and strategically important on‑device AI...
canary channel
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notepad
on-device ai
opacity slider
paint
paint project file
quick markup
save as project
snippingtool
windows 11
windows insider
windows insiders
Microsoft is quietly turning three of Windows 11’s oldest, most familiar utilities — Paint, Snipping Tool, and Notepad — into more capable, workflow-focused apps by adding an editable project format, in-capture markup, and on-device AI features for Copilot+ hardware, with the changes rolling out...
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Microsoft’s latest Windows 11 Insider builds are shipping a new, full-screen renewal prompt aimed at lapsed Microsoft 365 subscriptions — an eye-catching SCOOBE (Second‑Chance Out‑of‑Box Experience) screen that insiders and early reports describe as a full‑screen nag to renew rather than a...
Microsoft is bringing a major workflow improvement to the Snipping Tool: a new “Quick markup” mode that lets you annotate screenshots before they're captured, plus simultaneous updates to Paint and Notepad that push these long-neglected utilities toward more advanced, productivity-focused use...
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copilot
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productivity
quick markup
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windows 11
I opened Paint and a small banner asked me to join “Windows AI Labs” — an opt‑in program that, according to the on‑screen card and an attached programme agreement, will let selected users test experimental AI features inside Microsoft Paint before those features are broadly released.
Overview...
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experimental ai
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Microsoft's latest Insider flight quietly turns three of Windows 11’s most familiar utilities—Paint, Snipping Tool, and Notepad—into more capable, workflow‑focused apps by adding editable project files, in‑capture markup, and local AI editing that can run on Copilot+ hardware without a...
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snippingtool
visual search
windows insider
Microsoft has started pushing a fresh wave of updates to three of Windows 11’s most familiar built‑in apps — Paint, Snipping Tool, and Notepad — to Windows Insiders in the Canary and Dev channels, and the changes are both practical and strategic: Paint gains a proper editable project format and...
copilot plus
dev channel rollout
in capture markup
local ai
notepad ai
on-device ai
paint opacity slider
paint project file
paint update
quick markup
share integration
snippingtool
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windows
windows 11
windows insiders canary
Microsoft Paint is quietly evolving from a tiny utility into a surprisingly capable image editor, and the latest Insider build shows Microsoft is leaning into features that make Paint behave more like a lightweight Photoshop — including a new editable project file, per-tool opacity controls...
ai in windows
copilot+
editable project files
graphics editing
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opacity sliders
productivity
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snippingtool
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windows 11
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workflow tools
Microsoft has quietly added a one‑click Internet speed test launcher to Windows 11’s taskbar and quick settings, and it’s arriving alongside continued enhancements to the Snipping Tool (a.k.a. “Scissors”) that push the app from a basic screenshot utility toward a compact image and video capture...
Windows 11’s keyboard shortcuts are not just a convenience—they’re the backbone of a faster, less distracted daily workflow for power users and knowledge workers alike, and a recent roundup that distilled “73+” essential combinations crystallizes why learning a compact set of keystrokes pays...
Windows 11 hides a surprising number of productivity tools and convenience shortcuts under its polished surface — features that are easy to miss but powerful once discovered. From window management that finally stops the dragging-and-resizing circus to clipboard vaults that remember what you...
built-in features
clipboard history
desktop workflows
dynamic refresh rate
emoji picker
focus sessions
keyboard shortcuts
multitasking
productivity tools
snap layouts
snippingtool
virtual desktops
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windows 11
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Windows ships with capable, polished defaults — but for many real workflows the built‑in apps are the bottleneck: limited features, conservative design choices, and occasional performance problems leave gaps that small, focused third‑party tools fill quickly and cheaply. The six alternatives...
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clipboard history
ditto
everything
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open source
pdf viewer
pdfgear
photos
productivity
sharex
snippingtool
software replacements
vlc
windows
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Windows provides a surprising number of ways to capture your screen, from the quick-and-dirty Print Screen key to a full-featured Snipping Tool that now includes OCR and video recording — this guide explains each native option, shows when to reach for third‑party tools, and evaluates risks and...
clipboard
greenshot
multi-monitor
ocr
onedrive
print screen
privacy
prtscn
redaction
screen capture
screenshots
security
sharex
snagit
snippingtool
win shift s
windows
windows game bar
workflow
xbox game bar
Microsoft has quietly begun threading tighter continuity between Android phones and Windows 11, shipped a handful of small but genuinely useful input and UI tweaks, and continued the long march of Copilot’s integration into the operating system — all surfaced this week in Insider builds and...
Microsoft’s latest update to Copilot for Windows 11 pushes the assistant farther into the OS — adding third‑party extensions that let Copilot act on your behalf across the web, new “settings” skills that can change system options for you, and AI enhancements in core apps like Photos and...
accessibility features
clipchamp silence removal
copilot
copilot pro
enterprise governance
extensions
live captions
magnifier
narrator
npus
on-device ai
photos generative erase
privacy and security
settings skills
snippingtool
web actions
widgets
windows 11
windows update
Microsoft’s glossy marketing often highlights the big, headline features of Windows 11, but a recent explainer that rounds up “13 features you probably didn’t know about” is a useful reminder: the OS is full of practical, time‑saving tools that rarely make the launch‑pad demo. The original list...
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clipboard history
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link to windows
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phone link
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windows 11
winget
Microsoft’s humble Print Screen (PrtSc) workflow in Windows is quietly changing again: the Snipping Tool in Windows 11 Canary builds is being tested with a window‑pick recording mode and an early annotation (draw-on-screen) panel, moving the built-in utility closer to a one‑stop capture...