The big new update is here for Windows 11, with Copilot, Paint with AI, and more – Windows 11

The updated version gives users access to the new AI feature Windows Copilot, an updated, AI-powered version of Paint, a new snipping tool for taking screenshots, a new Photos app, support for RGB or ARGB lighting platforms, an updated file explorer, and more.

Undoubtedly, the most important new feature in the new version of Windows 11 is Windows Copilot, which basically brings the well-known feature Chat with Bing (Bing Chat) directly to the Windows 11 desktop. It appears as a sidebar in Windows 11 and allows you to check From computer settings, running applications, or simply asking questions. Microsoft has also integrated Copilot into various parts of Windows (such as search). Copilot is essentially an AI-powered digital assistant, essentially an implementation of Microsoft’s Vision with Cortana. As is known, Microsoft set out to discontinue Cortana in Windows 11 last month with Copilot being its advanced replacement.

Microsoft has also added AI features to Paint, the Snipping Tool, and the Photos app, with the former getting slightly Photoshop-like features, with support for slides and layers.

The company will also soon be adding a new AI image creator to the Paint app (Windows Insiders can join the waitlist to access the Paint Cocreator feature starting today, while other users can use it in the coming weeks). “Cocreator unleashes your creativity by simply entering text and choosing a style to create a unique image,” Youssef Mahdi, head of consumer marketing at Microsoft, explains in an article. Posted on the official blog From Windows company. “You can then use the rest of Paint’s tools to enhance your creativity, either by adding layers or drawing on top,” he added.

Microsoft will use “credits” for the selected image creation feature in Paint during the preview period. For using Paint Cocreator, the company awards 50 points in total (one for each use of this feature). After the preview period ends, the specific credit system may change depending on Microsoft. This likely indicates that the company may start charging for use of this feature in the future.

The Snipping Tool’s artificial intelligence (AI) upgrade comes in the form of text extraction and editing. You can now copy text from the image in the Snipping Tool and share it with other applications. This feature is similar to the Copy Text from Images feature on Android and iOS. Microsoft has also added a feature that lets you fix email addresses or phone numbers and automatically hide them from photos.

Another app that has now been enhanced with AI is the Photos app, where users have a new background blur option at their disposal. This feature automatically detects the background in the image to highlight the main subject by blurring the background environment. Users can also adjust the intensity of the blur or even change the areas that are blurred. All of the above AI improvements in the Paint, Clipboard, and Photos apps are available to a limited number of users as they roll out gradually. The goal is for the updates to reach all Windows 11 users in the coming months.

Microsoft has also added an improved backup app. Now, users can back up their computers when they want to move forward with a new PC by automatically applying the current settings thanks to the backup created in the cloud. Together, apps pinned to the Start menu and taskbar will be “moved” while any apps downloaded from the Microsoft Store will be restored automatically (other apps downloaded outside of the Microsoft Store from manufacturers’ websites will need to be installed manually).

This new Windows 11 update also introduces support for passkeys, a way to avoid passwords and use your face, fingerprint, or PIN to log users into their accounts. Now, users can create, manage, save, and use passkeys to access apps, services, and websites.

File Explorer gets a more modern look that includes a modern user interface (UI) with thumbnails for large files as well as a library that displays recent and favorite files.

If you’re a gamer, Microsoft has made an interesting addition to this version of Windows: native support for RGB or ARGB lighting on your PC. This feature is called “Dynamic Lighting” and allows you to adjust the lighting on your computer (for example, on the motherboard, graphics card, or fans and cooling system) because it takes advantage of the open HID LampArray standard.

Acer, ASUS, HP, HyperX, Logitech, Razer, and Twinkly have teamed up with Microsoft to create this feature, which allows users to control lighting through the Settings section of Windows 11. So, if you have a mouse, keyboard, monitor, fans, or anything else Featuring dynamically controllable RGB lighting, you’ll be able to control the lighting without needing the device manufacturer’s app. The company has also added the ability to specify drives and folders for games from the Microsoft Store, much like the Xbox app allows PC games to be installed on additional drives.

The company has also added some features that will appeal to IT administrators and developers. Microsoft has brought this update to integrate Windows 365 Cloud PCs into Windows 11. Windows 365 Boot allows direct booting to Windows 365 Cloud PCs on a device while Windows 365 Switch allows those using Windows 365 to switch between desktop Local office and cloud PC inside Windows 11.

Developers also get access to Dev Home, an easier way to install and use Windows development engines. Dev Home takes advantage of Microsoft Windows Package Manager (winget) to create a configuration/setup file to install the applications, tools, and packages it needs. It also includes the ability to configure cloud development environments using Microsoft Dev Box and GitHub Codespaces.

The matter is not limited to the above only. Microsoft plans to introduce other new features for Windows, which are scheduled to be available via update in Q4 2023. “As announced in July, the Windows 11 2023 Update (version 23H2) will be released in Q4 2023.” said John Cable, head of Windows service and delivery at Microsoft In one of his posts On the official Microsoft blog for Windows. We still don’t know what this release will contain. However, we do know that there is a new volume mixer, native support for RAR and 7-zip archives, app labels, and the removal of taskbar groups in Windows 11. If you want to get the big new Windows 11 update now, you can go to Settings > Windows Update and enable “Get the latest updates as soon as they are available.” Otherwise, you’ll have to wait until November and Patch Tuesday to get it.