Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Computing
  3. News

Microsoft is removing a Windows app that’s almost 30 years old

Fionna Agomuoh
By
Computer user touching on Microsoft word icon to open the program.
Microsoft

Microsoft is saying goodbye to WordPad, its long-supported rich text application, which will no longer receive updates as of September 1.

The brand recently announced that the app is now among its list of deprecated Windows features. Microsoft explained the difference between deprecation and removal, noting that the former is when a feature is at the end of its life cycle and is no longer in active development, and the latter is when a feature is removed after having been deprecated.

Recommended Videos

WordPad is set to be removed from the Windows OS in a future update, but hasn’t yet reached that point. With Windows 12 expected to be released sometime in 2024, WordPad’s final end-of-life could come at that point. However, Microsoft doesn’t typically get rid of its programs that quickly.

Related

This free rich text editor might have been long forgotten or not be known by many more recent Windows users. Microsoft suggested alternatives in its announcement: the subscription-based Microsoft Word for rich text editing, including .doc and .rtf, and Windows Notepad for plain text, such as .txt.

As Microsoft sundowns WordPad, it has also recently announced updates to the Notepad app, which includes autosave and restoring tabs. The plain text editor got its first update in years in 2018 and was then updated again in conjunction with the Windows 11 update, which introduced tabs to its layout, the Verge noted.

Microsoft also took a similar trajectory with the retirement of other programs such as the Internet Explorer browser. The app took eight years to be phased out and still lives on in the “Reload in IE mode” button on the Microsoft Edge browser. This mode allows you to view websites and applications based on legacy scripts and code in a more compatible fashion.

Microsoft plans to support IE mode at least through 2029, making it so the base technology that runs Internet Explorer and associated software, including MSHTML and Trident engine, will still be on Windows for the foreseeable future.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Fionna Agomuoh
Fionna Agomuoh
Computing Writer
Fionna Agomuoh is a technology journalist with over a decade of experience writing about various consumer electronics topics…
Windows 11 is turning into Windows 12 right in front of us
Windows 11 set up on a computer.

Windows 12 is already upon us. Microsoft hasn't released the new operating system yet, or even formally announced it, but Microsoft's September 2023 event made it clear that recent updates to Windows 11 are laying the foundation for the next iteration of the OS.

A significant portion of the presentation focused on the upcoming AI assistant that is set to "revolutionize" the way you use Windows. A new update is now available for Windows 11 that adds Copilot to the OS. Copilot is said to be an everyday AI companion that provides assistance by uniquely integrating information from the internet, your work-related data, and your current PC tasks. It offers a range of AI features to numerous default apps by collecting data from your calendar, email, documents, and more to assist in quick text and email composition.

Read more
Microsoft Copilot sounds great. Here’s why I definitely won’t use it
Using Windows 11 copilot to summarize a document.

A lot of Microsoft's September event was dedicated to Copilot, Bing Chat, and other AI-driven features. In a way, the updates made to laptops like the Surface Laptop Studio 2 almost felt like an afterthought. It was a real AI fest -- and no wonder, as Microsoft has certainly created something bragworthy.

Despite how impressive Copilot seems to be, I can't see myself actually using it. It's a neat party trick, but my concerns with the AI outweigh any upsides it might have.
AI everywhere

Read more
The best Windows apps for 2023
dell xps 13 2018 review version 1541544414 screen hero2

There are plenty of apps available in the Microsoft Store, but the best Windows apps can remain elusive. Calendar apps are a popular choice for those looking to improve productivity, and there are plenty of free apps you can choose from if you don't want to pay for the privilege.

To help you choose, we’ve put together a list of the best Windows 10 and Windows 11 apps for every user to try out, whether you want better productivity or just seek to be entertained.
Best Windows apps for productivity

Read more