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Microsoft began rolling out new Notepad and Paint features to Windows 11 Insiders on January 21, 2026. Notepad version 11.2512.10.0 adds streaming responses to its existing Write, Rewrite, and Summarize tools. Paint version 11.2512.191.0 introduces an AI-powered Coloring book feature. The important limitation is availability: the announcement targets the Canary and Dev Insider Channels, and Paint’s Coloring book requires a Copilot+ PC and a Microsoft account.
These are preview features, not a universal Windows 11 update. A later Paint release, version 11.2605.61.0, reached the Beta and Release Preview Channels with an AI image-panel fix, but that does not confirm that every January feature is available in the stable release.
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Microsoft’s announcement is therefore best understood as an expansion of Windows’ AI app experiment—not as evidence that every Windows 11 user now has the same tools.
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What changed in Notepad?
The January update does not add a new Notepad AI mode. Instead, it makes the existing AI tools feel more responsive by displaying generated text as it arrives. Microsoft says streaming results apply whether processing happens locally or through the cloud.
Notepad’s current AI tools are:
- Write: Generates text from a prompt at the cursor, optionally using selected text as context.
- Rewrite: Rephrases selected text and can change its length, tone, or format.
- Summarize: Condenses selected text into a short, medium, or long summary.
Microsoft documents these features in its Notepad AI support guide.
How to use Notepad AI
- Rewrite: Highlight text, choose Rewrite from the right-click menu or toolbar, or press
Ctrl + D. Select a rewrite option, review the variations, then apply or discard one. - Summarize: Highlight text, choose Summarize from the right-click menu or Copilot menu, or press
Ctrl + M. Choose short, medium, or long, then insert, regenerate, or discard the result. - Write: Place the cursor—or select reference text—then choose Write or press
Ctrl + Q. Enter a prompt and keep, refine, or discard the output.
The same update also adds strikethrough Markdown formatting, nested lists, and a new welcome or “What’s New” experience. Those are conventional Notepad improvements, not AI capabilities.
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Paint gets an AI Coloring book mode
Paint version 11.2512.191.0 adds Coloring book, which generates coloring-book-style pages from a text description. For example, a user could describe an animal, object, or scene and ask Paint to create a printable outline-style page.
To try it:
- Open Paint.
- Open the Copilot menu.
- Select Coloring book.
- Enter a description.
- Select Generate.
- Add the result to the canvas, copy it, or save it for later.
There are two major conditions: Microsoft says Coloring book requires a Copilot+ PC and Microsoft account sign-in. It was initially announced for Windows Insiders in the Canary and Dev Channels, so installing the newest Paint version alone does not guarantee that the menu will appear.
Paint also received a fill-tolerance slider. This is not generative AI: it gives the traditional Fill tool more control over how precisely it applies color around edges and areas of similar color.
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Coloring book is only one of Paint’s AI tools
Microsoft has been adding several separate AI functions to Paint. They should not be treated as one single feature or one universal release:
- Cocreator: Generates artwork using a text prompt and the user’s drawing.
- Generative fill: Adds an AI-generated object to a selected area.
- Generative erase: Removes selected objects or areas.
- Image Creator: Generates images from text prompts.
- Sticker generator: Creates prompt-based stickers.
- Object Select: Uses AI to isolate elements in an image.
Sticker generator and Object Select were introduced in a May 2025 Insider announcement, while Coloring book belongs to the January 2026 rollout. Microsoft’s Paint support documentation also lists hardware restrictions for several of these tools.
Who can use the new features?
| Feature | Ordinary Windows 11 PC | Copilot+ PC | Availability caveat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Notepad Write, Rewrite, and Summarize | Depends on rollout, account, region, and feature | Supported where available | Microsoft’s support documentation describes current availability for some Insider builds |
| Notepad streaming results | Not necessarily | Not necessarily exclusive to Copilot+ hardware | Initially announced for Canary and Dev Insiders |
| Paint Coloring book | No | Yes | Requires a Microsoft account and began as an Insider feature |
| Paint Cocreator | No or limited | Yes | Availability depends on the feature, build, and hardware |
| Paint generative fill | No | Yes | Microsoft specifies Snapdragon-powered Copilot+ hardware |
| Paint generative erase | Supported according to Microsoft’s earlier announcement | Yes | Availability can vary by build |
| Sticker generator and Object Select | No | Yes | Introduced to Insiders in May 2025 |
Availability can also depend on app updates from the Microsoft Store, Windows Insider channel, region, Microsoft account status, internet access, and gradual rollout controls. A Windows 11 user with an older Intel or AMD computer may update Paint and still not see the same Copilot menu items as someone with a Copilot+ PC.
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Accounts, credits, and processing
Notepad AI requires Microsoft account sign-in. Microsoft also documents AI-credit usage for eligible Microsoft 365 subscribers, with credits replenished monthly for qualifying accounts. Users should check the current account and plan requirements rather than assume that every Notepad action has the same cost or eligibility.
Microsoft says some Notepad features use local models, while subscription-based text processing can use an online Azure service. Paint may also generate locally on supported hardware while relying on cloud services for safety systems. The practical lesson is simple: Notepad is no longer purely offline by default, and sensitive text or images should not be submitted without understanding the applicable processing path.
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What to do if a feature is missing
- Update Notepad or Paint through the Microsoft Store.
- Check the installed app version. The January preview versions were Notepad 11.2512.10.0 and Paint 11.2512.191.0.
- Confirm that Windows 11 is installed.
- For Paint’s restricted AI tools, verify that the device is a Copilot+ PC.
- Sign in with a Microsoft account.
- Check whether the feature is limited to Canary, Dev, Beta, or Release Preview Insiders.
- Look under Paint’s Copilot menu rather than expecting a separate app.
If generation fails, check internet connectivity, available AI credits where applicable, content-filtering restrictions, app version, hardware support, and temporary rollout or service problems. These are possible causes, not guaranteed explanations for every failure.
Joining the Windows Insider Program can provide earlier access, but Canary and Dev builds are intended for testing and can be less stable. Users who depend on their PC for school, work, or production should not switch channels solely to create coloring pages.
Should you care?
- If you already own a Copilot+ PC: Update Paint and try Coloring book and other supported tools when they appear. They are useful for quick concepts, playful illustrations, simple edits, and printable activity pages.
- If you use a regular Windows 11 PC: Update the apps if you want Notepad’s supported writing tools, but do not expect every Paint AI feature to appear.
- If you prefer a minimal Notepad: Microsoft provides a setting to disable Notepad AI features. The traditional editor remains available without using Write, Rewrite, or Summarize.
- If you are a professional writer or designer: Treat these tools as quick assistants, not replacements for a full writing application or image editor. They lack the control, document management, and review workflow those tools provide.
Buying a Copilot+ PC solely for Coloring book is difficult to justify. The hardware makes more sense if you also want other local Windows AI features, newer processors, longer battery life, or related capabilities. Likewise, Microsoft 365 or Copilot Pro should not be purchased merely for occasional Notepad experiments; their value depends on the broader services you need.
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The bigger shift
Notepad and Paint are becoming entry points for Microsoft’s Windows AI strategy. That makes them more capable for quick drafting, summarizing, image generation, object removal, and simple creative work. It also changes the character of two historically lightweight apps by adding accounts, credits, online services, hardware gates, and preview-channel dependencies.
The January 2026 update is therefore significant, but mainly as a sign of direction. For most readers, the decisive questions are not whether the features sound useful; they are whether the feature has reached their Windows channel, whether their PC qualifies, and whether they are comfortable with the required account and processing model.
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