 The Logo of WordPad | |
 WordPad running on Windows 11 | |
| 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 that it plans to remove WordPad from future versions of Windows. In January 2024, WordPad was no longer auto-installed with the release of the Windows 11 Build 26020 and it was announced that it will not be available for reinstallation. Microsoft suggests Word or Notepad as a replacement. There will be no successor.[2] Microsoft announced it will finally remove WordPad in Windows 11 24H2.[3]
- ^ "September 10, 2024—KB5043076 (OS Builds 22621.4169 and 22631.4169)". Microsoft Support. Microsoft.
- ^ mestew (9 February 2024). "Deprecated features in the Windows client - What's new in Windows". learn.microsoft.com. Retrieved 22 February 2024.
- ^ Blog, Windows Insider; Team, Windows Insider Program (22 May 2024). "Releasing Windows 11, version 24H2 to the Release Preview Channel". Windows Insider Blog. Retrieved 8 September 2024.