WordPad has been automatically installed on Windows systems since the release of Windows 95 – that is, from 1995 – and provides users with a basic text editor and document editor integrated into the operating system.
The company now recommends using paid Word, or there’s Notepad.
WordPad will no longer be updated and will be removed in a future release of Windows
– says the company in its statement.
Although the company did not disclose the reason for the decision, it could easily be due to security risks related to the program.
There may still be a chance that WordPad will remain, but there is no decision on this yet: when Microsoft announced that it was retiring Paint a couple of years ago, due to the indignation of users, it finally decided to make it available through the Microsoft Store.
If enough people ask, maybe Microsoft will move WordPad to its app store so that it remains available as a less feature-rich replacement for Microsoft Office and similar software.
Cover image source: Getty Images
