Microsoft to phase out WordPad, a longtime windows app
Microsoft has announced plans to phase out WordPad, a nearly three-decade-old component of the Windows operating system. This decision, made earlier this week, has cast doubt on the future of this native word-processing tool.
WordPad, which has been a part of the Windows operating system since Windows 95, has had an incredible 28-year existence.
However, Microsoft has stated that the free and built-in word processing application would be phased out with a next Windows update.
While Microsoft has acknowledged that future Windows updates will be discontinued, no particular date has been offered at this time. Notably, Microsoft had already made WordPad an optional application since the Windows 10 Insider Build 19551 update.
This change was subsequently rolled out to stable builds, allowing users the option to uninstall the app via the Windows Optional Features Control Panel.
For users wondering about alternatives to WordPad, there is no shortage of word processing solutions available in today's market. Numerous open-source word processors are accessible, with some being entirely free of charge.
Microsoft provides its Notepad software for simple word processing activities for Windows users, or they can download Microsoft Word, which requires a Microsoft 365 membership, for more advanced word processing features. Furthermore, Google Docs allows users to edit word file formats online without having to download a separate tool.
Other options include LibreOffice, Zoho Docs, WPS Office, and a variety of third-party word processing applications.
For those concerned about the impact of WordPad's discontinuation, it's worth noting that the application is not widely utilized as the primary word processing software by most
