Windows 11’s next big update is now available with Copilot, AI-powered Paint, and more

  **Microsoft is releasing one of its biggest updates to Windows 11 today. It includes access to the new Windows Copilot, AI-powered updates to Paint, Snipping Tool, and Photos, RGB lighting support, a modernized File Explorer, and much more.

  Windows Copilot is the big new feature for this Windows 11 update, bringing the same Bing Chat feature straight to the Windows 11 desktop. It appears as a sidebar in Windows 11, allowing you to control settings on a PC, launch apps, or simply answer queries. Microsoft is integrating Copilot into many parts of Windows, too.

  Copilot will essentially exist as an AI-powered digital assistant, much like Microsoft’s vision for Cortana. While Microsoft shut down the Cortana app inside Windows 11 last month, Copilot looks like it’s very much Microsoft’s big push into AI.

  Microsoft is also adding AI-powered features to Paint, Snipping Tool, and Windows 11’s Photos app. Microsoft Paint is getting Photoshop-like features, with support for transparency and layers.

  Microsoft is also adding a new AI image generator to Paint soon. Windows Insiders will be able to sign up to a waitlist to get access to a “Paint Cocreator” feature today that will be available to all Windows 11 users in the coming weeks. “Cocreator unleashes your creativity by simply inputting a text prompt, selecting a style, and generating a unique image,” explains Yusuf Mehdi, head of consumer marketing at Microsoft, in a blog post. “You can then use the array of other tools in Paint to further refine your creation, whether it’s adding layers or drawing on top.”

  Microsoft’s Photos app for Windows 11 continues the focus on AI and imagery with a new background blur option with this update. Background blur will automatically find the background in a photo and highlight the subject and blur out the background. You can customize the intensity of the blur or even change the areas that get blurred out.

  You may need to wait a few weeks or months to get the AI-enhanced versions of Paint, Photos, and Snipping Tool, though. Microsoft warns these app updates “start rolling out now to a small percentage of consumer users (with full availability targeted in the coming months).”

  Microsoft is also adding an improved Windows Backup app with this update. It now lets you back up your PC when you want to migrate to a new device, automatically applying your existing settings to a new PC thanks to backup to the cloud. Pinned apps on your Start menu and taskbar will also transfer, and any apps from the Microsoft Store will be automatically restored.

  This latest Windows 11 update also introduces support for passkeys — a method to avoid passwords and use your face, fingerprint, or PIN to sign in to accounts. You can now create, manage, and store passkeys and use them to access websites, apps, and services.

  A new volume mixer is on the way, alongside native RAR and 7-zip support and even app labels and ungrouping for the Windows 11 taskbar. Microsoft also mentioned a new inking experience onstage at its Surface and AI event last week, but those features won’t be a part of this update.

  If you want to get today’s big Windows 11 update right now, you can head into Settings > Windows Update and turn on “Get the latest updates as soon as they’re available.” Otherwise, you may need to wait until the November monthly Patch Tuesday to get this latest big Windows 11 update.