Microsoft is beefing up the Paint and Notepad apps in Windows with new artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities for text editing and digital illustration creation . These updates are currently rolling out to Windows Insiders in the Windows 11 Canary and Dev channels, and include features that seem highly specialized or advanced for such simplistic apps. Some of these include AI-powered text enhancements in Notepad and the ability to instantly create coloring book pages in Paint.
See also: Microsoft withdraws Office Lens app from iOS and Android
Coloring book in Microsoft Paint
The last feature is called “ Coloring book ” and it allows you to create blank coloring templates based on a text description . Users can access this feature, in Paint version 11.2512.191.0 , by selecting the Coloring book option from the Copilot menu in Paint. They are then asked to describe what the drawing should be, such as “ a cute fluffy cat on a donut .” Paint will generate four results and users can select the one they like to add to their canvas.
From there, they can use Paint itself to color the image or print it out to draw traditionally on paper.
See also: Microsoft makes it easier to add hyperlinks in Word
The Coloring book feature is only available on Copilot Plus, so it's more likely that Microsoft is exploring new ways to make Windows 11 devices with built-in AI more marketable.
Paint also gains a fill tolerance slider (not limited to Copilot hardware) that provides more control over how the Fill tool applies color.
See also: DocuSign, Microsoft, Google: Why brands are the ultimate weapon for phishers
Updates also in Notepad
The Notepad 11.2512.10.0 includes the ability to stream AI-generated results for the Write, Rewrite, and Summarize functions, showing a preview of text results quickly, without having to wait for the full answer. Notepad also has a new welcome experience that provides a quick overview of what's available in the app , and now supports additional Markdown syntax, including strikethrough formatting and embedded lists.
