The Notepad that knew too much: Humble text editor gets unnecessary AI infusion

Copilot+ PC users can run the AI models locally. Others may need a subscription.

Microsoft is continuing to shovel AI functionality into its Notepad application, with Windows Insiders the first test subjects.

The latest update makes AI features like Summarize, Write, and Rewrite available on Copilot+ PCs without requiring a subscription.

Since the update, users with Copilot+ PCs will be able to dispense with the subscription requirement and choose to run local models rather than cloud-based ones.

Those with non-Copilot+ PCs that want a piece of the AI action, accessed via a right-click in Notepad, will need to subscribe.

Notepad was the simplest of text editors and has been a part of Windows for decades. In recent years, Microsoft has tinkered with the application, loading it with AI features that users did not demand but received anyway. Those features can be turned off in Notepad's settings.

Away from Notepad, Microsoft has also added the ability to save project files to Paint and an opacity slider – again, overkill for something that started life as a bitmap botherer. It also added quick markup to the Snipping tool to allow users to make image edits before finalizing a screenshot.

Microsoft's Copilot+ PCs are solutions looking for a problem. It will become increasingly difficult to find hardware that isn't AI-enabled in the coming years, but having an essential application that requires AI hardware would certainly ease the transition.

However, enabling Notepad to perform AI tasks such as summarizing, rewriting, or writing text using local models rather than requiring a cloud subscription isn't it. ®