After a nearly three-decade run, Microsoft has announced its intention to retire Wordpad. The company has stated that it will cease updating the application and will exclude it from the forthcoming Windows release.
The software giant will shift its focus to recommending Microsoft Word, its high-end word-processing software. This is because Microsoft Word has consistently provided a wide range of features, unlike the basic WordPad application that has been bundled with Windows since Windows 95.
WordPad Meets Its End – What’s the Inside Story?
“WordPad is no longer being updated and will be removed in a future release of Windows.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,” said Microsoft via a note on its official website.
Almost three decades have elapsed since the app was first launched. As the next Windows update draws near, Microsoft has disclosed its plans to retire the built-in and free word-processing application.
The news of WordPad’s phase-out aligns with Microsoft’s recent disclosure of improvements for Notepad, including features like automatic tab restoration and autosave. This announcement was made just one day before.
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How will it impact users?
Most importantly, WordPad isn’t a preferred choice for many as their primary word-processing software. Even for the few who do rely on it, there are plenty of alternative options available. In essence, the deprecation of WordPad won’t have a significant impact on users.
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End of an Era – What’s Next for Windows Users?
As WordPad is retiring, Microsoft will continue to endorse its advanced and comprehensive counterpart, Microsoft Word. Microsoft Word is a part of the Office 365 subscription package.
Furthermore, the abundance of word processing applications and services available today leaves no shortage of choices. Within the market, you can find several open-source word processors, and notably, some are offered completely free of charge. In addition, Google Docs eliminates the need for users to download additional software onto their devices by enabling smooth online editing of Word file formats.
You’ll also find options like Zoho Docs, LibreOffice, WPS Office, and a variety of other third-party word processing applications to choose from.
Signing-Off
The WordPad received an update featuring Windows 7’s Ribbon UI, but after a minor redesign during Windows 8, it hasn’t seen any significant enhancements. However, in the subsequent years, Microsoft shifted its attention away from WordPad in favor of promoting Microsoft Word.
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