Notepad Rewrite feature

How to rewrite text with AI on Notepad for Windows 11

Don't even Notepad is safe from AI features as Microsoft integrates the new Rewrite feature.

  • To use Rewrite AI for Notepad, open the app, open a text file, or compose your text. Select the text, right-click the selection, and choose “Rewrite.” Then, choose the AI-generated text and click “Replace.” 
  • Yes, you can disable Rewrite for a more classic experience for Notepad.
  • If you want to try it while it’s on preview, you may have to enable it manually with the ViveTool.

On Windows 11, the note-taking app Notepad now includes AI integration with the “Rewrite” tool that allows you to perform several actions when writing text, including rewriting text selection and changing the tone and length.

The feature is available starting with Notepad version 11.2410.15.0 and higher releases, and since this is a feature that requires access to the cloud to process the AI feature, you have to be logged in with your Microsoft account.

In this guide, I will show you how to start using the writing AI tool available on Windows 11.

Get started with Rewrite for Notepad on Windows 11

The Rewrite feature is very straightforward since it’s similar to the “Rewrite with Copilot” feature available on Microsoft Edge. Notepad even adds the option to turn it off if you want to stay on the classic experience of the note-taking app.

Use Rewrite for Notepad

To rewrite text with AI on Notepad, use these steps:

  1. Open the Notepad app.

  2. Click the profile menu from the top-right and sign in (if applicable).

    Notepad sign in option

  3. (Optional) Click the File menu, choose the Open option, select the file to edit or write the text, and continue with the steps below to edit it.

  4. Select the text you want to improve.

  5. Right-click on the selected text and choose the “Rewrite” option.

    Notepad Rewrite option

    Quick tip: This option is also accessible from the “Rewrite” button on the top right. Alternatively, you can also use the “Ctrl + I” keyboard shortcut.
  6. Review the AI-generated text.

  7. Change the length, tone, and format with the available option.

  8. Choose the preferred version of the newly generated text, or click the Retry option for more variations.

  9. (Optional) Switch back to previous versions of the text from the dialog.

  10. Click the Replace button to apply the AI text.

    Rewrite AI UI for Notepad

You will also notice that every time you use this feature, you will be spending your AI credits, meaning that there is a limited number of times you can use this feature per month. If you use a Microsoft account, you get 15 non-rollover credits per month, and with a Microsoft 365 subscription, you get 60 non-rollover credits.

Disable Rewrite on Notepad

To disable the AI feature for Notepad on Windows 11, use these steps:

  1. Open the Notepad app.

  2. Click the Settings button from the top right.

  3. Turn off the Rewrite toggle switch under the AI Features section to disable the feature.

    Notepad disable Rewrite option

  4. (Optional) Turn on the Rewrite toggle switch under the AI Features section to enable the feature.

Once you complete the steps, the AI feature will no longer be available in the note-taking app.

Enable Rewrite (preview) on Notepad

If you update the Notepad app through the Microsoft Store on a device enrolled in the Canary or Dev Channels, the feature appears automatically. However, if you cannot find it, you can turn it on manually with the ViveTool.

To enable the Rewrite preview on Notepad, use these steps:

  1. Open this GitHub website.

  2. Download the ViveTool-vx.x.x.zip file to enable Notepad’s Rewrite.

  3. Double-click the zip folder to open it with File Explorer.

  4. Click the Extract all button.

    Extract ViveTool files

  5. Click the Extract button.

  6. Copy the path to the folder.

  7. Open Start.

  8. Search for Command Prompt, right-click the top result, and select the Run as administrator option.

  9. Type the following command to navigate to the ViveTool folder and press Enter:

    cd c:\folder\path\ViveTool-v0.x.x

    In the command, remember to change the path to the folder with your path.

  10. Type the following command to enable the Rewrite AI feature on Notepad and press Enter:

    vivetool /enable /id:45172197,48433719
  11. Open the Notepad app.

After you complete the steps, the Rewrite feature should appear in Notepad. However, you may still need to turn it on from the app’s settings page.

Although the AI writing assistant may be useful for some people, I don’t find it necessary on Notepad since this is supposed to be a simple note-taking app. Otherwise, I would use Microsoft Word or another word-processing application if I want more features.

Also, you are limited to the number of AI credits on your account. As a result, you may need it one day, but you won’t be able to use it because you will be out of credits. If Microsoft wants these AI features to work, they should be accessible without limitations.

At the time of this writing, Rewrite for Notepad is available for users in the United States, France, United Kingdom, Canada, Italy, and Germany. The feature is also available to Microsoft 365 subscribers in Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, and Thailand.

Do you plan to use this AI feature in Notepad? If so, what are your thoughts? Let me know in the comments.

About the author

Mauro Huculak is a Windows How-To Expert who started Pureinfotech in 2010 as an independent online publication. He has also been a Windows Central contributor for nearly a decade. Mauro has over 15 years of experience writing comprehensive guides and creating professional videos about Windows and software, including Android and Linux. Before becoming a technology writer, he was an IT administrator for seven years. In total, Mauro has over 21 years of combined experience in technology. Throughout his career, he achieved different professional certifications from Microsoft (MSCA), Cisco (CCNP), VMware (VCP), and CompTIA (A+ and Network+), and he has been recognized as a Microsoft MVP for many years. You can follow him on X (Twitter), YouTube, LinkedIn and About.me. Email him at [email protected].