Microsoft Decides to Discontinue WordPad After Nearly 30 Years
In a significant move, Microsoft has officially decided to discontinue WordPad, a basic text-editing application that has been a fixture on Windows systems since 1995. The tech giant made this announcement over the weekend, signaling the end of an era for this software.
WordPad is set to be deprecated, which means it will no longer receive updates and is scheduled for removal in a forthcoming version of Windows. While it was once an integral part of Windows installations, it was designated as an optional feature in 2020, granting users the option to uninstall it. This change hinted at what was to come, foreshadowing this recent development.
Microsoft's decision is underpinned by its belief that its existing product offerings are more than capable of meeting the needs of WordPad users. Specifically, Microsoft Word and Windows NotePad are positioned as suitable alternatives to handle tasks typically associated with WordPad.
Microsoft explained, "WordPad is no longer being updated and will be removed in a future release of Windows.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."
This move aligns with Microsoft's strategy of modernizing its software portfolio and adapting to changing user preferences. While it signifies the end of WordPad's era, users are encouraged to explore Microsoft's alternatives to seamlessly continue their text-editing requirements.