Microsoft retires WordPad after 28 years — app no longer available as of Windows 11 24H2

Microsoft finally pulled the plug on WordPad. The company no longer includes it with Windows 11 24H2, which started rolling out yesterday. It officially gets added to the ‘Deprecated Feature‘ list, indicating it’s no longer available.

Though there would be certain users who may not appreciate this handy rich word app being removed, it was inevitable as the previous Windows 11 Canary Build excluded it. Like many software companies, Microsoft removes many older features and functions to make a more streamlined operating system and to make way for new features. Older doesn’t necessarily mean it has outlasted its usefulness; hence, there is no integrated rich text editor from Windows 11 24H2 to take its place. Microsoft made it clear when it recommends using Microsoft Word for rich text documents like .doc and .rtf and Windows Notepad for plain text documents like .txt.

While there are ways to bring it back, as its binary files are still present in Windows 11 24H2, there is no way to make it work as a default option to open rich text formats. Eventually, all of its binary files will be removed, completing the phasing-out process. Many well-known apps, such as the Windows Media Player, were removed. Meanwhile, Notepad has received some updates this year, notably the spellcheck feature and now the tabs option with Windows 11 24H2.

Initially released 28 years ago with Windows 95, WordPad offered a no-fuss and free rich text formatting, which Notepad didn’t, and Microsoft’s Office was a premium add-on. Wordpad has also been removed from the latest Windows Server 2025 update.

It should be noted that earlier, Microsoft deprecated MS Paint in favor of Paint 3D in Windows 10 Creator’s Fall Update, only to bring it back after a backlash followed by its redevelopment for Windows 11. On the other hand, Paint3D will reportedly be phased out from its stores on November 4, 2024. Microsoft also had plans to phase out the Control Panel but later had to clarify that many of its functions would be migrated to Settings options for streamlining purposes. This doesn’t imply guarantees of a comeback, like the Windows media player. As of now, other word-based applications are your best bet.

So, if some wish to make WordPad readily available for your needs with Windows, all you have to do is ask them in unison. But one cannot say if WordPad will ever make a comeback like MS Paint.