Microsoft deprecated WordPad, the old text editor first introduced in Windows 95, in September 2023. Later, release notes for one of the Windows 11 preview builds confirmed that the company plans to delete WordPad from the operating system with no way to install it back. Now, we have more information about the inevitable death of the old WYSIWYG text editor.
In a document published on the official Microsoft Learn website, the company says that WordPad will be removed from Windows 11 version 24H2 and Windows Server 2025. Both operating systems will ship without WordPad components, namely wordpad.exe, write.exe, and wordpadfilter.dll. Microsoft recommends developers avoid referencing those files in their apps and instead use Microsoft Word and Notepad.
Although WordPad had a pretty basic set of features, it was still a decent rich-text editor with RTF support. Starting with Windows 11 version 24H2, which is also known as Windows 11 2024 Update, the operating system will no longer have a built-in text editor with RTF support. If you often work with this file format, Microsoft recommends using Word. As for regular text files (TXT), Microsoft says Notepad should suffice, especially in light of the latter getting plenty of new features and upgrades.
In September 2023, when Microsoft announced WordPad"s upcoming end of life, we published a look-back article detailing the history of this classic Windows app. If you missed it, check it out here.
There will not be an official way to restore WordPad in Windows 11, so those wanting the app should rely on enthusiasts to figure out a way to restore the old text editor. Windows is famous for its backward compatibility, so porting WordPad back should not be a big problem, just like it is not a big deal to restore the old Task Manager and Notepad.
Rest in peace, WordPad.