Transform Your Writing with Rewrite AI in Windows Notepad

Notepad, the unassuming text editor that has been part of the Windows ecosystem since your grandma used it as her diary, is back in the spotlight. Wait, don’t roll your eyes just yet! Microsoft has revitalized this plain-text tool with a potent AI-driven capability called "Rewrite AI." With this feature, creativity and functionality collide by enabling you to rephrase sentences like a pro—making them shorter, longer, formal, casual, or whatever your mood dictates. Yes, my friends, Notepad has received a glow-up, and I’m here to walk you through it.
Let's deep-dive into how to harness the power of Rewrite AI in Notepad on Windows 11.

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What is Rewrite AI in Notepad?​

Before we get hands-on, let’s talk about what makes Rewrite AI such a game-changer. Rewrite AI, powered by an advanced GPT (Generative Pre-trained Transformer) model, helps you refine text directly in Windows Notepad. From simple rewrites to complex tone adjustments, this tool taps into Azure cloud services to deliver variants of your input text—always staying private, though! Microsoft assures us that any processed data isn’t stored.
Whether you want to add a dash of wit, sound fancy-schmancy, or keep things Pinterest-worthy minimalist, the Rewrite AI function in Notepad has got you covered. Fancy features like:

• Rephrasing entire text documents
• Shortening or elongating sentences
• Tone customization (Casual, Formal, Humorous, Inspirational)
• Reformatting into lists, poetic verses, or business tones

That’s like moving from black-and-white silent cinema straight into the Dolby Atmos era of text editing.

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Who Can Use It?​

Sorry, not everyone gets to play with the Rewrite AI just yet. It’s currently in preview for Windows Insiders but limited geographically to regions like the US, UK, Canada, France, Italy, and regions in Asia Pacific (e.g., Singapore, Malaysia, Australia). Notably, users need either:

• A Copilot Pro subscription, or
• A Microsoft 365 Personal/Family subscription to access this feature.

If your region isn't supported, don’t panic because a little tweak in settings (detailed below) can still open the gates for you.

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Enabling Rewrite AI: A Step-by-Step Guide​

Feeling left out of the Rewrite AI party? Don’t be. You can enable this feature if your Windows 11 is up-to-date and you meet a few prerequisites. Here’s how you can make magic happen:

1. Update Windows and Notepad:
   Ensure both Windows 11 and Notepad are on their latest versions. You can update Notepad through the Microsoft Store easily.
2. Set Location to a Supported Country:
   If Rewrite isn’t showing up in your settings, a nifty workaround involves pretending you reside in one of the supported regions. Do this:
   • Open the Settings app (shortcut: Win + I).
   • Navigate to Time & language > Language & region.
   • Change your "Country or Region" to the United States (or any eligible region mentioned above).
3. Enable Rewrite AI in Notepad:
   • Open Notepad and sign in with your Microsoft account (a requirement for Rewrite functionality).
   • If the Rewrite icon isn’t visible immediately:
     • Go to Notepad Settings by clicking the gear icon in its top-right corner.
     • Scroll to the AI Features section and toggle Rewrite on.
   • Done! You’re officially equipped with the Rewrite AI button on Notepad’s toolbar.

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How to Use Rewrite AI in Notepad​

Congratulations! Rewrite AI is fired up. Now, let's learn how to unleash its full power:

Getting Started:​

1. Open Notepad.
2. Open or create a .TXT file containing some text to rewrite.
3. Select the text you want to modify, then:
   • Click on the Rewrite button in the toolbar, or
   • Use the Ctrl + I hotkey.

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Rewrite Options:​

Here’s where the magic really begins. Once Rewrite activates, a floating box will display 3-5 rewritten variants of your selected text. From here, you’ve got several interesting choices:

• Rewrite:
  Completely reworks the selected paragraph or sentence. Great for when you want something fresh but equally cohesive.
• Make Shorter/Make Longer:
  Love brevity or rambling prose? Tailor sentences to be crisp and snappy or verbose and expressive.
• Change Tone:
  Adjust the emotional vibe of your text to:
  • Formal (professional emails, anyone?)
  • Casual (social media posts, perhaps!)
  • Humorous or Inspirational (let’s uplift those dull sentences!)
  • Persuasive (perfect for selling an idea—or a soap dispenser).
• Change Format:
  Fine-tune your text into specific templates:
  • List-style
  • Business-focussed paragraphs
  • Academic structure
  • Even poetic or marketing language. Yes, Notepad can write poetry now—Shakespeare must be envious.

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Finalizing and Replacing Text:​

Once you see the AI-generated versions, you can:

• Select your favorite and click Replace to slot it into your document.
• Copy alternative options to the clipboard for later use.
• Dismiss rewrites you don’t fancy by hitting Discard.

Heads-up—using Rewrite eats into your AI credit count (one credit per rewrite). So don’t go on a rewriting bender unless you’ve got credits to spare.

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FAQs: Everything You’re Too Afraid to Ask​

1. How Do AI Credits Work?​

Credits are a finite resource (e.g., 50 credits allocated to trial users monthly). Each text rewrite, whether long or short, deducts 1 credit. You can monitor remaining credits via the AI popup dialog.

2. How Private Is My Data?​

Microsoft’s Azure backend securely processes all text without storing it. So, no, your entire poetry collection won’t leak online.

3. What About Classic Notepad?​

If you’re nostalgic about the good ol’ Notepad, you can easily switch back. Here’s how:

• Navigate to Settings > Apps > Advanced app settings > App execution aliases.
• Disable the new Notepad and open the older executable from C:\Windows or C:\Windows\System32.

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Final Thoughts​

Rewrite AI in Notepad isn’t just a feature—it’s a revelation. Whether you’re hacking away at the next great American novel, polishing a professional memo, or looking to zhuzh up your passive-aggressive grocery list, this tool delivers stellar results. While the limited regions and subscriptions could act as a speed bump, workarounds can help enthusiastic users jump on board. And if you haven’t given Notepad a second look in years, now might be the time.
Turn on Rewrite AI, and turn your plain text into tailored prose. Tell us—how do you plan to unleash this new tool? Let’s talk about it in the comments.

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Source: The Windows Club How to enable and use Rewrite AI in Notepad on Windows 11