Microsoft is expanding the list of Windows 11"s built-in AI features with several new capabilities, such as AI-powered Windows Search, Click to Do, Generative Fill and Erase, and Super Resolution in Photos.
Click to Do triggers when you press the Windows key and click your mouse. It scans what is displayed on the screen and offers various useful shortcuts, such as Visual Search in Bing, background blur or removal, shopping assistance, etc. It can also help you when working with text by rewriting, summarizing, or explaining. Click to Do works on any screen and in any application.
Windows Search has been criticized heavily, but Microsoft is finally fixing it with the help of AI. With the updated search, you can use natural language to find objects without knowing their exact file names. The updated search can also understand misspelled queries, find objects in photos, and more—all without an active internet connection.
The updated search will be available first in File Explorer, but Microsoft also plans to bring it to Windows Search and Settings search. The latter will help you find the necessary feature or option by describing it in your own words, such as "add my headphones."
Super Resolution in Photos will help you enhance and upscale low-resolution images by up to eight times. The Photos app will let you adjust the upscaling intensity and compare the result with the original. Microsoft also boasts that Neural Processing Units will get the job done "within seconds, for free" and without waiting "all night."
Generative Fill and Erase in Paint join the existing Cocreator capabilities in Windows 11"s default image editor. With the latest update, Paint will let you select the area you want to remove.
Also, you can select an area and tell Paint using natural language what you want to add to the image. You can click "Looks good" to accept the suggestion or re-generate the result.
Finally, Microsoft updated the underlying model so it delivers better and faster results, plus its built-in moderation will ensure no harmful content is generated in Paint.
All these AI-powered features will be available exclusively on Copilot+ PCs with eligible processors from Qualcomm, Intel, and AMD. Microsoft says Windows Insiders will get to try those features later this month, and the public rollout is expected in November.
In addition to these new features, Microsoft announced the rollout of Windows 11 version 24H2 and significant Copilot upgrades, such as Copilot Vision and Copilot Think Deeper.