Microsoft introduced an AI feature in its Notepad app that helps you rephrase your thoughts and increase or decrease text.
The new feature is currently only available to Windows Insiders and the Dev and Can channels. According to Microsoft, Rewrite in Windows Notepad is powerful AI model based on GPT.
It has the ability to rephrase sentences, adjust the tone or modify the length of the content, based on certain preferences. Microsoft says that Rewrite uses an Azure online service to process and generate the text, after which the generated text is sent back to your computer. The service does not store the text or content generated after processing, to protect the privacy and security of users.
Rewrite in Notepad is available in preview to all users in the following countries: United States, France, United Kingdom, Canada, Italy, and Germany. So, the supported languages are English, French, Italian and German. AI-powered features are also available for users with a Microsoft 365 Personal or Family subscription, or a Copilot Pro subscription, in the following regions: Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan.
AI features are available in Notepad version 11.2410.15.0 and later. To gain access you will need to take some steps on your computer. These are:
1. Change your device language to US English (or one of the languages listed above).
2. Set the region (Settings > Time & Language) to the United States. (or one of the countries listed above).
3. Of course download the Notepad app or if you have it make sure it is in its latest version which is currently 11.2410.16.0
4. Sign in with your Microsoft account. That is, do not use Windows 11 offline.
5. Enable the feature with Vivetool by running the following command in Terminal.vivetool /enable /id:47961746
After following these steps, open Notepad and you will see a new button in the menu bar as well as your Microsoft account icon. This button displays a pop-up menu with various options.
Highlight the text you want and click the new button. With the Rewrite command you can ask the AI to reword the highlighted text.
Rewrite can also be activated with the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + I. You can reduce the text (make shorter) or increase it (make longer).
Clicking on the Change tone menu reveals further options, including Default, Formal, Casual, Inspirational and Humor.
You can also change the format (Change format) to one of the following styles: Default, Paragraph, List, Business, Academic, Marketing, and Poetry (Default, Paragraph, List, Business, Academic, Marketing, and Poetry).
There are reports that it can also be enabled on stable Windows 11 without the requirement to belong to Insiders. We didn't try it. If you want do the above and let us know.
Limitations of Rewrite for Notebook
Initially it only supports English, French, Italian and German. In our tests in Greek, he didn't make any suggestions. In English it worked perfectly.
Rewrite in Notepad is a freemium feature, meaning it is limited by modules. More specifically, you get 50 credits to start. And, you'll need to sign in to your Microsoft account to use the feature.
You can click the account icon in the Notepad toolbar to view your account details and check your AI credit balance (look for credit balance). Each use costs one credit and yes, clicking Repeat uses another credit.
Microsoft's page states that users will be notified when their credits run out (5 or less). More importantly, it also says that “Credits for Microsoft 365 subscribers are automatically replenished at the beginning of each month.” The wording seems to suggest that free accounts will not receive extra credits.
