Windows 11 Photos App Adds Adobe Expand, Erase and Express Templates
The Windows 11 Photos app gains Adobe-powered Expand and text-prompted erase tools, plus Adobe Express templates, with a December Insider preview.
The Windows 11 Photos app is getting generative editing tools built on Adobe's engine, plus a route into Adobe Express. Microsoft and Adobe announced the expansion at Adobe MAX, and a preview for Windows Insiders starts in December 2026. Neither company has said whether the Adobe-powered features will require a paid subscription.
The new Editor functions cover three tasks. Expand extends a photo beyond its original borders. A rotate option turns the image without cutting any part of it. Users can also select an object and describe the change they want in text, and an erase tool removes unwanted items while filling the gap. In the screenshots Adobe shared, Expand sits under Crop and Aspect ratio, next to a label that reads Powered by Adobe.
Adobe Express adds a second path. Users can send a photo from the Photos viewer into a ready-made template, such as an invitation or a social post, and continue the design in Adobe Express. Adobe describes this as a preview for Windows Insiders beginning in December, so the template workflow is not yet available to general users.
What Microsoft changed in the Photos app first
The Adobe tools arrive in an app that Microsoft rebuilt only weeks earlier. On October 15, 2026, Microsoft introduced a new Gallery that combines photos from the PC, OneDrive and Apple iCloud. The rebuilt native Editor launches 25% faster, and the redesigned Viewer opens photos up to 30% faster. Microsoft also says the Editor handles HDR, HEIC and WebP editing, and includes Relight on Windows 11 PCs.
The Adobe layer therefore sits on top of Microsoft's own tools. Microsoft already offers object removal in the Editor, so the Adobe features extend an existing workflow. The practical difference is the generative expansion and the text-prompted object edit, which Microsoft's October announcement did not describe.
Why the subscription question matters
The Edge PDF reader offers a precedent. In February 2023, Acrobat's PDF engine was brought into Edge through a joint effort by Microsoft and Adobe. Reading PDFs stayed free, but editing text and images, converting files and merging documents require an Acrobat subscription. Opening a PDF and choosing Edit with Acrobat brings up a panel with Premium features and a 7-day free trial button.
Adobe's Photoshop tools, by contrast, are part of Creative Cloud subscriptions, so the paid tier is clear there. Users should check whether the Insider preview requires an Adobe sign-in or shows upsell prompts, because the Edge rollout shows that a free base app can still route users toward paid Adobe tiers.
Photoshop's Remove tool now runs generative AI on-device on those machines. That work is separate from the Photos app, but it shows the partnership spans both consumer and creator tools.
Verdict and what to watch
We see the Adobe integration as a useful addition for basic edits, because Expand and text-prompted erasing solve common problems without a separate app. The open issue is licensing. Until Microsoft or Adobe state which features are free, the cost of the Adobe layer is unknown. We would test the December Insider preview for sign-in prompts and paid labels before relying on these features for regular work.
Sources
Meet the new Photos app on Windows 11
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Researched and cross-referenced against primary sources by the Bytevyte editorial team. This article was generated with the assistance of artificial intelligence and reviewed by the Bytevyte editorial team.
