# Microsoft Paint and Photos Embed Server-Issued GUIDs as Invisible Watermarks in Locally-Generated Images

> Source: <https://discuss.privacyguides.net/t/microsoft-paint-and-photos-embed-server-issued-guids-as-invisible-watermarks-in-locally-generated-images/40229#post_1>
> Published: 2026-08-27 06:47:20+00:00

TL;DR
Microsoft Paint supports both local and cloud image generation
Paint and Photos also ship local AI models
The two apps send the prompt to a remote server for moderation
The server returns a GUID along with the moderated prompt
The GUID is embedded into the locally generated image as an invisible watermark
A separate visible-watermark setting does not control this invisible watermark
On Copilot+ PCs, image generation is local but prompt moderation remains remote
Microsoft discloses that Paint adds C2PA metadata to AI-generated images
AI-generated image saves limited to C2PA-preserving formats: PNG, JPEG, GIF, and
.paint