Microsoft Eliminating WordPad in Upcoming Windows Update

Microsoft has just announced that the (slightly) more complex text editor WordPad will be retired in favour of the recently released Notepad.

WordPad has been a part of Windows for decades, succeeding as a more feature-rich alternative to Notepad and more basic word processors. Microsoft, however, has decided that the time has come to eliminate the app, claiming that development has ceased and that it will be shut down permanently.

WordPad will be discontinued at some unspecified point in the future, according to Microsoft. The business recommends Notepad for the most basic tasks, while Microsoft Word is recommended for more complex tasks.

In a notice posted to its support pages, Microsoft says:

WordPad is no longer being updated and will be removed in a future release of Windows. We recommend Microsoft Word for rich text documents like .doc and .rtf and Windows Notepad for plain text documents like .txt.

Unlike Paint, which received so many objections from users that Microsoft ultimately reversed its decision to remove it from Windows, WordPad is unlikely to meet the same fate. While the basic word processor has a place in Windows history, its devoted following is much smaller and less intense than Paint’s.

This is all we know for now, but rest assured that we will keep you updated as new information becomes available.