Microsoft Adds Gen AI Features to Paint, Snipping Tool, and Notepad

Windows Insiders can generate AI stickers in Paint and text in Notepad by entering prompts.

(Credit: Smail Kaplan/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Microsoft is testing a slew of new generative AI features for Paint, its Snipping Tool, and Notepad. They're open to Windows Insiders in the Canary and Dev Channels on Windows 11, though some require Copilot+ PCs.

If you’re still using Microsoft Paint, you can use the new AI-powered feature to create custom stickers by typing in a prompt on a Copilot-compatible device. To try it, click the Sticker Generator button in the Copilot menu, type in a description of the sticker you want to create (“monkey wearing a suit," for example), and hit the Generate button.

Paint will then generate a set of unique stickers based on your prompt. You can access all your recently generated stickers by tapping the new Stickers option in the Paint toolbar.

Paint already has generative AI features for layers, background removal, and generative erase that are open to everyone.

Copilot can also now help you slim down the amount of time it takes to edit your clippings. The new feature, Perfect Screenshot, will resize your clipping based on the content in your selection using AI. You can enable the feature by holding the Ctrl keyboard shortcut after activating the Snipping Tool while selecting the region of your screen you want to capture. Perfect Screenshot is also limited to Copilot+ PCs

In addition, you can now write new content in Notepad using generative AI by entering a prompt. You'll need to place your cursor where you want to insert new text, or select the content you’d like to use as a reference. Then right-click and choose Write, select Write from the Copilot menu, or use the Ctrl + Q keyboard shortcut. 

You'll then need to enter your instruction into the dialog and click Send. The AI-generated output will appear directly on the canvas. You can select Keep Text to add it to your document or Discard if it doesn’t fit your needs. You can also continue refining the output by entering follow-up prompts to evolve your draft further. But to use write, you'll need to a Microsoft 365 or Copilot Pro subscription with enough of Microsoft's new AI credits.