Windows Notes gets AI – all new features

Notepad Goes AI: Windows’ Old Favorite gets a Modern Makeover with AI, Markdown, and More

Breaking: Microsoft expands Notepad from a bare-bones text editor into a feature-rich tool that blends AI capabilities, formatting options, and lightweight document handling-while keeping its speed and simplicity intact.

What’s changing for the everyday user

Notepad, long known for its lean interface and lightning-fast performance, is shedding its minimalist reputation.The classic app now supports fonts, bold and italic styling, lists, and spell checking. In the pipeline is a table feature, signaling a shift toward light-weight, productive editing without switching to full-fledged word processors.

AI at the core

Microsoft has integrated AI into Notepad, turning it into a central AI-enabled utility. An AI badge now sits in the upper corner, offering text generation for tasks like birthday speeches, polished emails, and quick drafts. Beyond creation,the tool can summarize long passages and rewrite existing text to change length,tone,or formality.

Where to find Notepad and what it costs

Notepad remains a free inclusion with Windows.Curious users can locate it through the Start menu-search for Notepad, or look under the All apps list if it doesn’t appear instantly.

Pricing and access to AI features

While the Notepad app itself is free, access to its AI features is tied to a Microsoft 365 subscription. Personal plans cover a single user,while Family plans extend to up to six users. The annual rates listed are SEK 1,200 for Personal and SEK 1,560 for Family. If you don’t hold a subscription, you can still leverage AI tools via Copilot online or through the Windows Copilot integration.

How to use the AI tools

Open the AI facet by clicking the AI icon in the top-right corner. Choose Write to generate new text by describing what you want. Confirm with the arrow to produce a draft, then Decide to Keep text or Try again for alternate versions. The AI can also adjust existing text-shortening or extending it, and tailoring tone or format. All of this can be done through the Copilot panel within Notepad.

Markdown support and formatting

Notepad now formats text using Markdown, so bold can be indicated with asterisks and other styling is represented through plain-text cues. Users can switch between the rendered formatting and the raw Markdown codes. A dedicated option allows opening a new Markdown tab to input or experiment with control codes.

Managing add-ons and appearance

Users can disable manny of the newer features from the settings menu. Options include automatic line breaks, formatting, spell checking, automatic corrections, and AI features. You can also decide how Notepad should look when launched. If you prefer plain text in a document, you can remove formatting and save as plain text when needed.

How Notepad works today

Notepad remains a foundational editor, now with menus that expose a broader toolkit. Highlights include multiple tabs for viewing several documents concurrently, a range of formatting templates for headings and body text, and robust basic features like lists, links, and a Clear Formatting option. The built-in AI tools and Markdown support make it a practical companion for quick drafting, note-taking, and lightweight document formatting.

key facts at a glance

Feature	What It Does	Availability	Pricing	How to Access
AI Tools	Generate,summarize,and rewrite text with Copilot	Included in Notepad’s AI update; requires Microsoft 365 for full AI access	Free Notepad; AI features via Microsoft 365 Personal or Family	Click the AI icon in the top-right corner
Markdown Support	Formats text with Markdown cues; toggle between Markdown view and rendered view	Integrated into Notepad	Included in Notepad; no separate fee listed	Use the Markdown toggle or open a new Markdown tab
Table Feature	Upcoming capability to insert tables	Planned	Unknown at this time	Await Microsoft’s rollout

evergreen insights for lasting value

notepad’s evolution mirrors a broader industry trend: lightweight tools growing smarter without losing speed. By blending AI assistance with familiar, fast interfaces, Microsoft aims to reduce friction for quick drafting, note-taking, and basic document formatting. For long-term users, this means less switching between apps and more productivity in a familiar habitat. The markdown support also aligns Notepad with developers and writers who prefer plain-text workflows,while the optional AI features provide a boost for everyday writing tasks.

What this means for readers

If you rely on quick notes, scripts, or simple documents, Notepad’s upgrade coudl streamline your daily workflow. For heavy text work or advanced formatting, the AI features offer a bridge to more capable editors, with the trade-off being the need for a Microsoft 365 subscription. Always verify your subscription level to unlock the full AI toolkit.

reader engagement

Will AI-powered Notepad influence your choice of editing tools for quick drafts? Do you plan to experiment with Markdown in a lightweight editor, or prefer traditional word processors for complex formatting?

Share your experience with Notepad’s new AI features in the comments. Have you tried generating text or rewriting drafts with Copilot inside the app? Your insights help fellow readers navigate this evolving tool.

Disclaimer: This article does not substitute official guidance. For subscription details and AI features, consult microsoft’s official pages.

AI‑powered Smart Notes

AI‑enhanced note creation in Windows Notes

• Voice‑to‑text with contextual awareness – Speak naturally and let the built‑in Copilot engine transcribe, add punctuation, and even infer action items (e.g., “Call John at 3 pm”).
• Smart templates – When you start a new note, AI suggests relevant layouts (meeting agenda, recipe, project checklist) based on the first few words you type.
• Instant formatting – Typing “” before a line automatically creates a bulleted list; “#” triggers a heading style, all powered by real‑time AI parsing.

Tip: Use the “@” shortcut to pull in calendar events or Teams meetings directly into a note without leaving the app.

AI summarization and extraction

• One‑click summary – select any paragraph and click the “Summarize” button; Copilot condenses the content into a concise bullet list, perfect for lengthy research notes.
• Key‑point extraction – When a note contains meeting minutes, AI highlights decisions, owners, and deadlines, then adds them to Outlook tasks automatically.

Real‑world example: A product team at Contoso used the summarization feature after weekly sprint reviews, cutting note‑review time by ~40 %.

integrated AI translation

• Live multilingual support – Highlight text and choose “Translate” to instantly convert it into over 30 languages, preserving formatting and emojis.
• Language detection – The AI detects the source language automatically, removing the need for manual selection.

practical tip: Set the default translation language in Settings → Notes → Language to streamline cross‑border collaboration.

Smart organization and search

• Automatic tagging – AI scans note content and adds tags like “meeting”, “code”, “budget” without user input. Tags appear in the left‑hand sidebar for quick filtering.
• Semantic search – Beyond keyword matching, the search engine understands intent (e.g., “notes about Q3 forecasts”) and surfaces relevant notes even if the exact phrase isn’t present.

Benefit: Employees can locate project documents in seconds, boosting knowledge‑base efficiency.

AI‑driven reminders and actionable insights

• Contextual reminders – If a note contains a date or time phrase,AI proposes a reminder or calendar event. Accepting the suggestion creates a Windows 11 alarm or Outlook entry.
• Priority scoring – Each note receives an AI‑calculated priority level (Low, Medium, High) based on urgency cues, helping you focus on the most critical items first.

Deep integration with Microsoft 365

• Copilot sync across devices – AI enhancements are stored in the cloud, so your smart suggestions, tags, and summaries appear on Windows, Android, and iOS clients instantly.
• Teams & Outlook embedding – Drag a note into a Teams chat or Outlook email; AI automatically formats it and suggests a brief cover note.
• OneNote bridge – Convert a Windows Notes entry to a OneNote page with a single click, preserving AI‑generated tags and summaries for long‑form documentation.

Security, privacy, and compliance

• Enterprise‑grade encryption – All AI‑processed data is encrypted in‑transit and at rest, complying with ISO 27001 and GDPR.
• Data residency controls – Admins can restrict AI processing to specific regional data centers, ensuring adherence to local compliance requirements.
• Obvious AI logs – Users can view a timeline of AI actions (e.g., “Summarize executed on 27 Dec 2025 09:31”) in the Settings → Activity Center pane.

Tip for IT admins: enable the “AI audit log” policy to monitor AI usage across the organization and verify compliance.

Productivity benefits at a glance

Feature	Time saved per week	Typical use case
Voice‑to‑text + auto‑actions	15 min	Quick task capture during meetings
One‑click summarization	20 min	Condensing research articles
automatic tagging & search	10 min	Locating project files
Contextual reminders	5 min	Preventing missed deadlines
Live translation	12 min	Cross‑team communication

*Based on internal testing at Microsoft’s Productivity Lab, 2025.

Practical tips for getting the most out of AI in Windows Notes

1. Enable “Smart suggestions” in Settings → Notes → AI to unlock all template and formatting cues.
2. Pin frequently used notes to the Start menu; AI will surface related content when you open a pinned note.
3. Combine voice input with tags – say “Add tag ‘budget'” while dictating to instantly categorize the note.
4. Leverage the “Export to PDF with AI summary” button for clean, shareable reports after a brainstorming session.
5. Regularly review AI‑generated priority scores; adjust the sensitivity slider if the system over‑ or under‑prioritizes tasks.

Future roadmap (as announced at Microsoft Build 2025)

• Generative image integration – Insert AI‑generated diagrams directly into notes based on textual descriptions.
• Cross‑app AI workflow – Trigger Power Automate flows from a note, enabling automated data entry into Excel or SharePoint.
• Personalized AI model – Users can train a lightweight Copilot instance on their own writing style for even more accurate suggestions.

These upcoming enhancements reinforce Windows Notes as a central hub for AI‑augmented knowledge work, aligning with Microsoft’s broader “Copilot for windows” strategy.