It is the end of an era as Microsoft prepares to bid goodbye to WordPad nearly after three decades!!!
The Redmond giant recently announced that it will deprecate WordPad, which means it will no longer be a part of the Windows operating system. It will be deprecated from a future release of Windows, which is rumoured to be Windows 12 in 2024 with AI-powered features.
Microsoft is Removing WordPad from Windows after 30 years
Meanwhile, Microsoft also noted that it has two products, Microsoft Word and Windows Notepad, which most users can use to do what WordPad did for them. In other words, the company recommends users switch to its paid word processor like Microsoft Word or the free-to-use Microsoft Notepad.
“WordPad is no longer being updated and will be removed in a future release of Windows.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,” the company said in the announcement made on the “deprecated features” listing on its Learn website on Friday.
For those unaware, WordPad is a basic word processor that supports rich text format features and has been part of almost all versions of Microsoft Windows since Windows 95. However, in February 2020, the app was made an optional feature, which meant that users could delete the free-to-use app if they did not wish to have it.
WordPad got its last significant update during the Windows 8 redesign. Since then, the company has not regularly updated the basic word processor.
While the existing Windows users will be able to use WordPad freely, those who update their system with the upcoming Windows operating system will no longer be able to use the app.
Microsoft Is Making Enhancements for Upcoming Releases
WordPad is one of many Windows features that is getting the axe. Previously, another notable feature, ‘Cortana’ – an AI voice-based assistant – on Windows 11, reached its end of support in August 2023, making way for the new AI-powered ‘Windows Copilot.’
While Microsoft has been regularly deleting features and apps that are no longer useful for the company, at the same time, it has also been testing a couple of updates for its apps.
For instance, the software giant was recently spotted testing the most notable feature for Notepad: Autosave. This feature will automatically save the session state on Notepad, allowing users to close the app without interrupting dialogs. They can then pick up from where they left off the next time they open the app.
Further, Notepad will automatically restore previously open tabs and unsaved content and edits across those open tabs.
In addition, Windows Snipping Tool is also getting an update, making it easier for users to switch between capturing screenshots and screen recordings without opening the app.