Microsoft is continuing its trend of slowly releasing new Windows 11 features to Windows Insiders. The latest additional features to make the jump to the PC operating system bring AI capabilities to Notepad and also add some additional options to Snipping Tool, the default Windows 11 screenshot tool.
Both of these apps are core to the Windows 11 experience, so it isn’t surprising to see Microsoft giving them a little more love. The company highlighted the upcoming changes in an Insiders blog post, sharing that Snipping Tool version 11.2401.32.0 will allow you to add shapes to captured images. This means you’ll be able to add arrows, ovals, lines, and rectangles to help highlight specific parts of screenshots. This will likely be handy for users who need to add annotations to screenshots more easily.
Credit: Microsoft
The other new features are coming to Notepad version 11.2401.25.0. With this latest update, Microsoft is bringing Copilot capability to the beloved note-taking app. You’ll now be able to highlight articles and choose “Explain with Copilot” to get more information about files, segments of code, and any other content you’ve directly selected in Notepad.
You can try out Explain with Copilot by selecting the text you want explained and then right-clicking and choosing “Explain with Copilot” from the drop-down list. Alternatively, you can use the new keyboard shortcut Ctrl + E to activate the new system.
Credit: Microsoft
According to Microsoft, there is currently a bug that keeps some users from being able to see the new features in Notepad right away, even when updated to the latest version. The company says it’s working to resolve the issue.
Unfortunately, the new features are only available to Windows Insiders right now. If you’re already an Insider, you’ll need to ensure you are in the Canary or Dev Channel to take advantage of the features. If you haven’t joined but are interested in seeing new Windows features early, learn how to become a Windows Insider.