After nearly thirty years, Microsoft Wordpad is pulling the plug. With Word and Notepad, Windows offers better alternatives.

Wordpad has joined the dreaded Windows feature obsolescence list. The text editor has been part of Windows since 1995, but has never been able to compete with the much more popular alternative Word. As of 2020, you could already remove the application from Windows, and when Microsoft allows that, you know it attaches little importance to an application.

The status of “deprecated feature” means that Wordpad will no longer receive updates. Microsoft also writes that Wordpad will no longer be included in future Windows releases. Whether Microsoft is referring to the upcoming Windows 11 23H2 update or kicking the door wide open for the Windows 12 announcement, let’s get the speculation rolling.

For those still using Wordpad, Microsoft offers alternatives. Word has long been the preferred application for large, formatted text documents. For simpler .txt files you can use the (renewed) Notepad app and OneNote also offers an alternative to writing short notes.

chopping axe

Microsoft isn’t shy about revising the Windows offering when the need arises. There is no point in investing time and effort in maintaining applications that are hardly used anymore. The most notable name to come up on the chopping block lately is Cortana. Microsoft has long held onto virtual assistants, but has now come to the conclusion that nobody is using it.