The classic WordPad will be discontinued by Microsoft. The company announced on Friday (the first) that the software will be discontinued on Windows in a future system update.
In support, Microsoft said: “WordPad is no longer updated and will be removed in a future version of Windows. We recommend Microsoft Word for text documents such as .doc and .rtf and Windows Notepad for plain text documents such as .txt.” page.
Microsoft has discontinued the classic WordPad.Source: Igor Alminara/Tekmundo
WordPad was released in 1995 with Windows 95, so it’s 28 years old. It was a more powerful alternative for editing and reading native operating system (OS) text files.
Over time, the program fell by the wayside. In February 2020, it became an optional feature in Windows 10 starting with build 19551.
Currently, WordPad is installed by default in Windows 10 and Windows 11. However, you can uninstall it from the Optional Features menu in the operating system settings.
Unexpected retirement
Despite the advertisement, Microsoft did not provide a specific end date for the Notepad program on the Windows operating system.
It is worth noting that this may not be the final end of the program. In 2017, Microsoft also announced the retirement of the classic Paint program, but after public outcry, Microsoft reversed the decision and keeps the program on Windows until today — including updates.
If requested by the user community, Microsoft could adopt a similar strategy and make the software available in the Microsoft Store and maintain frequent updates. However, this depends on the company’s strategy.
Edward Langley is a contributor at Mediarunsearch.co.uk, covering a wide range of topics including news, politics, business, technology, sport, entertainment and lifestyle. He focuses on delivering clear, balanced reporting and useful information that helps readers stay informed about current affairs and developing stories. His work highlights issues, trends and events that matter to everyday audiences, with an emphasis on accuracy, relevance and accessible journalism.