Farewell, WordPad! Microsoft bids adieu to 28-year-old word processor
What's the story
Microsoft has announced plans to remove WordPad from future Windows updates. The company has added this word-processing app to its list of "Depreciated Features" for Windows, signaling its sunset. WordPad has been a long-standing text editor in Windows since 1995. As per the explanation by the Redmond company, "WordPad is no longer being updated and will be removed in a future release of Windows."
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WordPad's history and positioning
Originally positioned as a more advanced version of Notepad with some MS Word functionality, WordPad succeeded Microsoft Write, which debuted in Windows 1 (1985). WordPad replaced Write in Windows 95 (1995) but has not seen significant updates in recent years, unlike Notepad, which now features a dark mode and autosave functionality.
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Microsoft's recommendations for alternatives
Since September 2023, Microsoft has considered WordPad a deprecated app and suggests using alternatives like MS Word and Notepad. In its blog post, Microsoft advised users to use Microsoft Word for rich text documents like .doc and .rtf files and Windows Notepad for plain text documents like .txt files. While WordPad is on its way out, Notepad seems safe for now if you want to use a basic note-taking app.
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Reactions to WordPad's removal
The decision to remove WordPad has sparked reactions from users who relied on the app before they could get the Office suite. Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian tweeted, "RIP WordPad. You got me through a lot before I could afford Office." At the moment, the current stable version of Windows 11 still includes WordPad. The changes are being tested in beta and developer channels first.