Notepad and Snipping Tool get new features for Dev and Canary Insiders

A few weeks ago, Windows enthusiast @PhantomOfEarth on X (formerly Twitter) made some code discoveries in new versions of Windows 11's Snipping Tool and Notepad apps. Both indicated new features for the apps would be coming soon.

Today, the official Windows Insider blog announced that both Snipping Tool and Notepad have new versions for people in the Canary and Dev Insider channels. As predicted by the leaks, the Snipping Tool update adds shape support for image captures. The Notepad update includes a Copilot generative AI tool.

Here is the blog post:

Snipping Tool (version 11.2401.32.0)

 

With this update, we are adding the ability to add shapes to captures in Snipping Tool, so that you can quickly add rectangles, ovals, lines, and arrows to mark up your screenshots.

 

Snipping Tool window open with the new shapes toolbar activ

 

To get started, select the new shapes button in the toolbar, and select the desired shape (you can change the fill or outline color if you’d like). Click and drag anywhere over your image to draw a new shape. You can resize, move, or change your shape color before clicking away. Once the shape is deselected, it will merge with your image, but you can still remove shapes with the eraser tool or undo your annotations.

 

FEEDBACK: Please file feedback in Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under Apps > Snipping Tool.

 

Notepad (version 11.2401.25.0)

 

In this update to Notepad, we are adding a new feature that helps you quickly understand content in your text files. With “Explain with Copilot”, you can ask Copilot in Windows to help explain log files, code segments, or any selected content directly from within Notepad.

 

Notepad app open showing new “Explain with Copilot” action on selected content.

 

To try it out, highlight any text, right-click, choose “Explain with Copilot” from the menu or use the new Ctrl + E keyboard shortcut, and a detailed explanation will appear in Copilot. This feature is available on devices that have Copilot in Windows, but there is a known issue where some users might not see this new feature in Notepad right away.

 

FEEDBACK: Please file feedback in Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under Apps > Notepad.

It will be interesting to see the reaction to these app updates, especially the Notepad Copilot addition.

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