The basic word processing software WordPad, which was offered free on the PC for nearly 30 years, will no longer receive updates and will no longer be available in future versions of Windows, according to a support note from Microsoft.
WordPad was first released 28 years ago with the Windows 95 operating system. The tool allows you to read files in .rtf, .docx, .odt or even .txt format. However, it does not have features such as correcting spelling errors or footnotes.
WordPad’s demise isn’t a surprise, Microsoft hasn’t paid it much attention in over a decade. The most recent notable update dates back to the introduction of Windows 8 in 2012. Another sign: Since 2020, PC owners have also been able to uninstall the application from their computer, which was not possible before.
Replaced by Word
The web giant now recommends (New window) using its paid software Microsoft Word, which has a more comprehensive range of functions. However, purchasing a license for this tool is not suitable for every budget; the personal version, which also includes other software from the Microsoft 365 suite (PowerPoint, Excel, etc.), costs $70 per year.
Otherwise, the WIndows Notepad tool for plain text documents (.txt) can also be a solution. The company also recently added new features to this software including automatic backup and automatic restore of tabs launched on Windows 11.
It seems that this year Microsoft has set out to clean up some of its tools that are considered outdated. The voice assistant application Cortana, for example, will be phased out by the end of the year.
Experts assume that Microsoft will launch the next version of its Windows 12 operating system software in 2024.
With information from Le Monde, The Verge and Mashable