Developer(s) | Microsoft |
---|---|
Initial release | August 24, 1995 |
Stable release | |
Repository | WordPad Sample: MFC WordPad Application (early version) |
Written in | C++ |
Operating system | Windows 95 and higher |
Platform | IA-32, x86-64, and ARM |
Predecessor | Microsoft Write |
Successor | Microsoft Word or Windows Notepad (suggested) |
Type | Word processor |
WordPad is a word processor included with Windows 95 and later. Similarly to its predecessor Microsoft Write, it is a basic word processor, positioned as more advanced than the Notepad text editor by supporting rich text editing, but with a subset of the functionality of Microsoft Word.
Earlier versions primarily supported a subset of the Rich Text Format (RTF, .rtf) and Microsoft Word 6.0 formats, although current versions are also capable of saving Office Open XML (OOXML, .docx) and OpenDocument Text (.odt) files.
In 2023, Microsoft announced plans to remove WordPad from future versions of Windows. In January 2024, WordPad was no longer auto-installed with the release of Windows 11 Build 26020 and it was announced that it would not be available for reinstallation. Microsoft suggests Word or Notepad as a replacement. There will be no successor.[1] Microsoft removed WordPad in Windows 11 24H2.[2]