windows insider

Microsoft has quietly turned Notepad into a small but capable generative writing assistant by adding three on-device AI tools — Summarize, Write, and Rewrite — that run locally on qualifying Windows 11 machines without forcing users into a subscription. Background Notepad’s identity has long...

Microsoft has quietly — and perhaps unnecessarily — turned the simplest text editor in Windows into another battleground in the company’s AI-first strategy: Notepad now offers Summarize, Write, and Rewrite powered by on-device models when run on Copilot+ PCs, with Microsoft’s Windows Insider...

Microsoft has started shipping a Notepad update for Windows 11 that brings true on‑device generative AI — including Summarize, Write, and Rewrite — to Copilot+ PCs, and those capabilities can run entirely offline without a Microsoft account or a paid subscription when executed locally on...

Microsoft’s new Xbox Full screen experience for Windows handhelds can already be forced onto existing devices — but early testers warn that getting it running is only the first step; making it stable, usable, and genuinely advantageous is another matter entirely. Background Microsoft and ASUS...

Microsoft Paint has quietly gained a Photoshop‑style workflow: Windows Insiders can now save layered, editable projects as a single .paint file and reopen them later to continue exactly where they left off, while Pencil and Brush tools gain an opacity slider for semi‑transparent strokes—changes...

Microsoft has quietly given Paint a workflow upgrade that moves the app from a quick doodle tool toward a genuinely useful, session-aware image editor: Paint can now save editable project files (.paint) and offers an opacity slider for Pencil and Brush strokes — features rolling out to Windows...

Microsoft’s long‑running habit of quietly modernizing its smallest apps reached a clear milestone this week as Paint, Snipping Tool, and Notepad received coordinated feature updates in Windows Insider builds — features that push these familiar utilities from convenience tools toward real...

Microsoft’s Paint has quietly taken a meaningful step toward becoming a lightweight, session‑aware image editor: the latest Insider update (app version 11.2508.361.0) adds editable project files using a new .paint container and introduces a per‑tool opacity slider for the Pencil and Brush tools...

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...

Microsoft has quietly begun rolling out an opt‑in testing channel called Windows AI Labs, a program that invites selected users to try experimental AI features inside built‑in Windows 11 apps — first observed in Microsoft Paint — and which appears designed to gather structured feedback and...

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...

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...

Microsoft Paint’s long, slow transformation from a nostalgic Windows toy into a lightweight, modern image editor reached a pragmatic milestone this week with the arrival of editable Project files (.paint) and a per‑tool Opacity slider — changes that make everyday sketching, shading, and...

Microsoft’s latest Paint update reframes the long‑running app as a serious low‑friction image editor by adding an editable project file format and per‑tool opacity controls — features that put Paint squarely in the conversation as a free, entry‑level alternative to Photoshop for everyday tasks...

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...

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...

Microsoft’s Windows 11 Insider previews for early September 2025 widen the operating system’s AI footprint and polish long‑standing UI rough edges, but they also underline the strategic tradeoffs Microsoft is making as AI features move deeper into the OS: more convenience and on‑device...

Microsoft has quietly posted official Windows 11 ISO images for Insiders, giving testers, OEMs, and IT teams the first gated chance to perform clean installs and full out‑of‑box experience (OOBE) validation for the upcoming Windows 11 feature update — the 25H2 Release Preview build family (Build...

Microsoft’s continued migration of legacy Control Panel features into the modern Settings app has taken another step forward: recent Windows 11 Insider preview builds contain hidden, in-progress pages that surface longstanding keyboard controls and a redesigned haptic touchpad panel inside...