Microsoft is preparing to improve the Windows user experience by integrating new artificial intelligence (AI)-based features directly into Windows File Explorer.
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This upcoming feature, called “AI Actions in File Explorer,” will allow users to perform tasks like editing images and summarizing documents with a simple right-click, simplifying workflows and leveraging artificial intelligence without the need to open separate apps.
The new AI actions are designed to be intuitive and accessible. By right-clicking on a file, users will find a new “AI Actions” option in the context menu. Selecting this option will display a list of available AI-powered tasks tailored to the type of file selected. This integration aims to keep users in their flow by providing powerful editing and analysis tools right within the file management interface.
Initially, Microsoft is releasing four AI actions specifically for images, supporting the .jpg, .jpeg , and .png file formats. These features integrate with existing Windows apps like Photos and Paint, but are now accessible directly from Windows File Explorer.
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The four image actions available for testing by Windows Insiders are:
1. **Bing Visual Search**: This tool lets you use an image as a search query. It can find similar images online, identify products, landmarks, plants, and even famous faces. It also integrates features like on-screen translation and homework help.
2. **Blur Background**: This action opens the selected image in the Photos app, where AI automatically detects and blurs the background to make the subject stand out. Users can adjust the blur intensity or use a brush tool to enhance the blurred areas.
3. **Erase Objects**: Leveraging the Generative Erase in the Photos app, this action allows you to remove unwanted objects or distractions from your photos. By selecting or highlighting an item, the AI will intelligently fill in the space, cleaning up the image.
4. **Background Removal**: This feature uses Microsoft Paint to automatically remove the background from an image with a single click. It can detect the main subject on the canvas or work within a user-defined selection to create a clean clipping.
Alongside AI actions in Windows File Explorer, Microsoft is bringing back a much-requested feature from Windows 10: a larger clock with seconds display in the notification center. This can be enabled in the “Time & language” settings.
In a move toward greater transparency and user control over AI, a new page in the “Privacy & Security” settings will show which third-party apps have recently used Windows-powered genetic AI models. This allows users to monitor and manage which apps are allowed to leverage these AI capabilities on the device.
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The update also includes various fixes for issues related to “Reset this PC,” Windows File Explorer display issues in dark mode, and performance improvements for Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI).
