Microsoft is ushering in a new era for its Windows Photos app, enhancing its capabilities with features drawn from its Designer application. This update, currently being tested in version 2025.11030.20006.0, promises to elevate user experience by integrating advanced editing tools and productivity enhancements.
Innovative Features on the Horizon
After years of relative stagnation, the Windows Photos app has seen a resurgence, particularly over the past two years, thanks to the introduction of AI-powered editing functionalities. Users can now effortlessly touch up images, remove backgrounds, and upscale photos—especially beneficial for those utilizing Copilot+ PCs equipped with a supported Neural Processing Unit (NPU).
Among the most exciting additions is the ability to utilize Optical Character Recognition (OCR) technology. This feature allows users to import documents and have the app “read” the text within images, a functionality reminiscent of the Office Lens capabilities launched five years ago. The new overlay feature enables users to highlight text, which can then be copied for use in other applications.
Furthermore, the integration of Designer’s creative elements into the Photos app is particularly noteworthy. Originally launched as a standalone service, Designer serves as both an AI art creator and a visual design tool. The upcoming update appears to streamline some of these design functionalities into Photos, allowing users to incorporate their existing images into greeting cards or other graphic layouts without the need to create new art from scratch.
While the specifics of the Designer integration remain somewhat ambiguous, Microsoft has indicated that users will have the option to right-click on photos in File Explorer to access the “Create with Designer” feature. This suggests a potential dual existence for Designer as both a standalone app and an integrated component within Photos, Word, and PowerPoint.
In addition to these enhancements, Microsoft is also refining the user experience by allowing automatic display of photos from subfolders in Gallery mode, eliminating the need for manual folder selection. The app will also gain the ability to display and edit JPEG XL (JXL) files, further broadening its functionality.
