visual search

  1. Click To Do: Windows' Local-First AI Overlay with Phi Silica

    Microsoft’s Click To Do is the kind of small change that can quietly rearrange how you work: a system-level overlay that turns whatever is on your screen—text, images, even tables—into actionable items you can edit, summarize, or hand off to Copilot, all without leaving the context of your...
  2. Google's Spotlight-style Windows search with Lens and AI Mode

    Google’s experiment quietly drops a compact, Spotlight‑style search bar onto the Windows desktop — summonable with Alt + Space — that unifies local files, installed apps, Google Drive and the web, and layers in Google Lens and an optional AI Mode for conversational, multimodal answers...
  3. AI Upgrades in Windows 11 Inbox Apps: Paint, Snipping Tool, Notepad

    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...
  4. Windows SCOOBE Renewal Prompts: Insider Build Sparks OS-as-Sales Debate

    Microsoft’s latest Insider builds repurpose the SCOOBE (Second‑Chance Out‑of‑Box Experience) screen into a full‑screen, blocking renewal prompt that reminds users a Microsoft 365 subscription “needs attention” — a test that has reignited debates about whether Windows should be used as a sales...
  5. Windows Snipping Tool Quick Markup, Paint Brush Opacity, Notepad AI Copilot+

    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...
  6. Firefox 143 Brings Windows Taskbar Web Apps and Copilot Sidebar Enhancements

    Firefox’s latest release delivers the kind of practical Windows-focused refinements power users have been asking for — and a high-profile AI tie‑in that will keep privacy wonks and enterprise admins debating for weeks. Background / Overview Mozilla’s rapid-release cadence means the browser you...
  7. Google's Spotlight-style Windows search with Lens and AI Mode

    Google has quietly dropped an experimental, Spotlight‑style search app for Windows that aims to make web, cloud and local file search a single keystroke away — summoned by Alt + Space by default — and bundled with integrated Google Lens and an optional AI Mode powered by Google’s generative...
  8. Google Labs Windows App: Floating Spotlight Search with Lens & AI

    Google’s experimental Windows app aims to remove the friction of switching windows to look something up — a floating, Spotlight‑like search bar you summon with Alt + Space that can search local files, installed apps, Google Drive, and the web, and that folds in Google Lens and the company’s AI...
  9. AI Actions in Windows 11 File Explorer: One-Click Image Edits & Visual Search

    Microsoft is quietly moving generative AI from apps into the very heart of Windows by adding an AI Actions submenu to File Explorer — a right‑click surface that lets you run visual search or apply quick, model‑driven image edits without opening a separate editor. The capability, visible in the...
  10. Windows 11 AI Actions in File Explorer: Quick Image Edits with Bing Visual Search

    Microsoft’s latest Canary‑channel experiment pushes intelligence deeper into the Windows shell: a new AI actions submenu in File Explorer lets you right‑click images to run Bing Visual Search, blur or remove backgrounds, and erase objects — all without opening a full editor. This context‑aware...
  11. AI Actions in Windows 11 File Explorer: Visual Search, Blur, Erase

    Microsoft’s latest Canary‑channel experiment stitches AI into one of Windows’ oldest workflows: right‑clicking files. The reported Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 27938 surfaces a new AI actions entry in File Explorer’s context menu that lets you run visual search, blur or remove backgrounds...
  12. Windows 11: Seconds Clock in Notification Center and AI Actions in File Explorer

    Microsoft is quietly restoring a piece of the Windows 10 experience many users missed: a larger, in-your-face clock with seconds in the Notification Center — and it’s arriving alongside a set of AI shortcuts in File Explorer and new transparency controls for generative AI access in Windows 11’s...
  13. Windows 11 Canary: AI Actions in File Explorer, Seconds Clock, and Privacy Visibility

    Microsoft’s latest Canary-channel whisper landed with a familiar mix of small UX restorations and new AI shortcuts: Insiders running the reported Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 27938 are seeing AI actions in File Explorer (visual search and quick image edits), a returning Notification Center...
  14. Build 27938: AI Actions in Explorer, Seconds Clock, and Power‑User Windows Tips

    On September 8, 2025 Microsoft pushed a fresh Canary-channel flight—reported as Build 27938—that strings together a set of small-but-significant UI and AI experiments. The visible pieces are straightforward: a new “AI actions” entry in File Explorer’s right‑click menu that surfaces image edits...
  15. Windows 11 Canary Build 27938: AI Actions in Explorer, Seconds Clock, and AI Activity

    Microsoft’s latest pre-release whisper to the Windows Insider Program’s most experimental ring landed with a thud of déjà vu: the Canary channel recently received a new build — reported as Build 27938 — that mainly repackages features already seen elsewhere in the Insider ecosystem, notably...
  16. Live Annotation in Snipping Tool: Annotate Before You Capture

    Microsoft’s Snipping Tool is being readied to let you draw directly on the live screen before you capture it — a change that would flip the traditional screenshot workflow and bring the app closer to dedicated third‑party capture utilities and inking-first workflows already familiar to tablet...
  17. Firefox Nightly adds native Google Lens search from image context menu

    Mozilla’s quiet move to add a native “Search Image with Google Lens” entry in Firefox’s context menu closes a long-standing usability gap with Chrome and Edge while reopening familiar privacy and platform questions for Windows users and IT administrators alike. The change—visible today in...
  18. Microsoft Windows 11 'Click to Do' Enhances On-Device AI for Smarter Screen Interactions

    Microsoft is developing a new feature for Windows 11, known as "Click to Do," designed to enhance user interaction with on-screen content through on-device AI capabilities. This feature is currently being tested on Copilot+ PCs within the Windows Insider Program. "Click to Do" allows users to...
  19. Unlock Google’s Visual Search Power on Windows with Snipping Lens

    Unlocking the Power of Google's Circle to Search on Windows: A Deep Dive into Snipping Lens and Visual Search Integration For years, mobile users have extolled the virtues of Google’s Circle to Search, a seamless fusion of image recognition and contextual search that allows Android owners to...
  20. Enhance Windows 11 Snipping Tool with Google Lens via Snipping Lens: The Future of Desktop Visual Search

    The growing power and convenience of Windows 11’s Snipping Tool have made it a core staple in the daily workflows of millions, but a fresh injection of Google’s intelligence—through a community-driven project called Snipping Lens—is redefining what “search with a screenshot” really means on the...