Software giant Microsoft has revealed its plans to discontinue the development of WordPad, the basic word processing application that has been a part of the Windows operating system since Windows 95. The company intends to remove WordPad entirely in a forthcoming release of Windows.
According to a support note published by Microsoft on Friday, “WordPad is no longer being updated and will be removed in a future release of Windows.” This decision is part of Microsoft’s ongoing efforts to streamline its software offerings and focus on more feature-rich alternatives.
WordPad, a simple word processor, has been a staple of the Windows operating system for many years, serving as a lightweight option for creating basic documents. However, Microsoft has acknowledged that its more sophisticated word processing software, Microsoft Word, has always offered a significantly broader range of features and capabilities.
“We recommend Microsoft Word for rich text documents like .doc and .rtf and Windows Notepad for plain text documents like .txt,” the support note advises users. Microsoft’s recommendation is in line with the company’s strategy to provide specialized tools for different document types.
While Microsoft has actively updated and improved other text-related applications, such as Notepad, with features like autosave and automatic tab restoration, WordPad hasn’t received similar attention in recent years.
This move comes shortly after Microsoft unveiled plans to enhance Notepad with new features, further highlighting the company’s focus on improving the overall user experience with its software products.
While the specific timeline for WordPad’s removal has not been disclosed, it is expected to coincide with the release of Windows 12, anticipated in 2024. This upcoming Windows version is rumoured to come with numerous AI-powered features, representing another step in Microsoft’s ongoing software development.
