The latest versions of Windows 11 for users of the Windows Insider test program bring an update that introduces Copilot to Notepad. With this integration, the editor is now able to explain excerpts of text selected by the user in a user-friendly language.
In a way, the news confirms the rumor that Notepad would gain artificial intelligence. It sounds like an exaggeration, after all, Notepad’s proposal is to be a lightweight and intuitive text editor. In this sense, the default logic is to seek a more advanced editor, such as Word, if more advanced features are needed.
But the proposal is interesting, at least at the moment. The purpose of the update is to allow the user to activate Copilot when faced with an excerpt of a text that they do not understand or that seems confusing.
The feature can be useful if we take into account that it is common for system logs or instruction files (often referred to as “leiame.txt”) to be made available in TXT format and therefore open by default in Notepad.
How does Copilot work in Notepad?
Simply select the excerpt of a text in Notepad, right-click on the selection, and choose the “Explain with Copilot” option. An alternative is to select the text and use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + E.
According to Microsoft, Microsoft’s artificial intelligence will analyze the selected snippet and come up with a detailed explanation about it (at least that’s what is expected).
Availability of Copilot in Notepad
Copilot is currently an experimental feature, only available on the latest versions of Windows 11 in the Canary and Dev channels of the Windows Insider program.
Microsoft warns that there is a bug that has not yet been fixed that makes the feature unavailable to some participants in the program. If this is your case, you need to wait.
There’s no word on when Copilot will officially arrive on Notepad, not least because the release of new features usually occurs only after Microsoft evaluates testers’ feedback and implements tweaks if necessary.
Copilot shouldn’t be the only artificial intelligence new feature Notepad will receive. The rumor that surfaced in January talks about a feature called Cowriter that would help the user generate texts. All it takes is patience: Microsoft has yet to confirm whether it even has plans for such a tool.