Chrome to get Stylus Handwriting Support on Windows 11/10

From making AI features such as Tab organizer avaialble to improving support for Chrome with various hardware, Google continues to improve user experience. The company is bringing Stylus handwriting support to Chrome on Windows, allowing users to write directly into text fields with a stylus. This will useful for users with devices like Surface, Lenovo Yoga, and Galaxy Tab S. Google to use existing work from Samsung’s Android Stylus Handwriting feature with some adjustments for this.

According to commit titled “Add stylus handwriting feature flag for Windows” and bug titled “Bug to track implementation of Windows TSF Shell Handwriting integration in Chromium”, spotted by Windows Report reveals, Google is developing a new feature to let users write with a stylus directly into text boxes in Chrome on Windows.

Chrome will use Windows’ Text Services Framework (TSF) Shell Handwriting API to recognize handwritten text and insert it into input fields.

“Windows Text Services Framework (TSF) Shell Handwriting API is a feature that recognizes handwritten text with stylus and commits to input fields on Windows devices. This bug is created to track feature implementation progress in Chromium to support the Shell Handwriting feature in HTML input fields for Chrome and WebView.” The bug description reads.

Based on document “Chromium Stylus Writing into Input Design” and “Support Stylus handwriting on Windows” spotted by us, here is how Stylus writing feature might work in Chrome:

• You can write directly on editable text fields with a stylus.
• Chrome determines where you’re writing and sends it to a tool for conversion.
• The converted text appears in the text box.

While Android directly handles stylus gestures, Windows will process them internally, with Chrome receiving information for actions like deleting text. Chrome will also introduce a new HTML attribute to control handwriting support for specific elements.

Devices like Microsoft Surface, Lenovo Yoga, HP Spectre x360, and Samsung Galaxy Tab S (when used with Windows) will benefit from this feature, improving note-taking and form filling. Essentially, any Windows device with stylus support can use this new Chrome feature.

Besides this, Google Chrome will make the Safe Browsing Card in the Safety check page more dynamic, speeding up browsing with quick website safety checks. Additionally, Chrome will offer a one-click fix button in Performance alerts to make resource-consuming tabs inactive.