Microsoft is killing WordPad in Windows after 28 years

This is very upsetting to me--more as a point of principle than in fact--but I appreciate that it doesn't bother younger generations at all. I just had a small argument with my 11 year old about how not-a-big-deal-who-cares this is, and it basically ended with us agreeing to disagree since it'll be his problem and his kids' problem.

And the problem is normalizing the notion that an OS doesn't need to include a non-subscription word processor. The entire point of this move is to shift the OS Overton Window in favor of consumers accepting and expecting that features like word processors, spreadsheets, etc., should be installed separately and paid for on a subscription basis despite previous iterations of the same software being feature complete on install and purchased at a set, non-recurring fee.

WordPad hasn't been anybody's first choice for a word processor in years, but it was included with Windows and did the bare minimum for unsophisticated users. Now we're entering an era in which those users will as a matter of course buy off-the-shelf computers that come pre-installed without WordPad, but rather with a trial of Office Fuck-You-Pay-Me Edition. Those users may well discover that after their first six months with their new computer (that has made Microsoft more money selling their data than they paid for it), they suddenly get a pop-up informing them that their trial is up and MS wants $99.99 to release the documents they're holding hostage.

It's a step backwards for consumers in general, so even for the sophisticated of us who are least likely to be personally affected by this change, there's definitely cause for alarm.

WordPad was a fast and efficient way to view doc files without loading into LibreOffice or any other office suite, or to make rich text documents quickly. But alas, we have to go to the cloud for our notes now...

Honestly, what is the point of Wordpad when you have Notepad and Word?

of course, gotta push more people to that godawful office 365 crap somehow

I mean, I use LibreOffice, but for people not that tech savvy it sucks they won't have a basic rich text tool included with Windows.

Am completely expecting this to be due to falling office sales or fear that people will realize they don't need expensive Office every few years when WordPad has 90% of functionality for daily use.

I expect this will make a lot of people very angry since I know many users of WordPad.

To be replaced by a link to WordPad Bing AI Edition

Only thing I used it for was when older versions of Notepad couldn't handle larger text files. Now it can. So, no loss to me. Notepad going away would suck, that does at least get occasional use although Notepad++ is far superior.

Slightly annoyed about this, as I do use Wordpad (it's lightweight and useful for quick notes that I want to mark up with bold and italic). I don't always want to watch Word or Libreoffice load for twenty to thirty seconds.

Shitty decision, happy to be Wordpad's one fan.

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This place really hates MS. Can't believe some of the comments here.

They must not be able to spy on people thru it

I get that people here hate MS, but defending Wordpad is a bonkers hill to die on.

It's complete wank.

I don't like Apple but they ship their devices with everything a basic user needs and if a high quality, completely for free. When you get a MacBook you don't need to worry about finding and downloading an external app for almost anything - from viewing any kind of file, to basic photo and video editing, to document processing, etc. And they don't track every minute thing you do and act like malware to try to make you use their products.

Honestly, this blows. WordPad fills a niche between a full blown text editor and notepad. Most of my random daily notes use WordPad still when not OneNote.

As long as they leave Notepad. I use it almost daily.

So long as they don't fuck with Notepad, I could give a fuck. Notwithstanding Notepad++ is a thing, so the fuck to be given would be inordinately small.

"Active development"? What the fuck do they think needed to be done with txt? More ads? They do realize that there are a lot of txt looker aters right? This is not even a fight, its a "well anyway" sort of thing.

Man fuck Microsoft. Killing a free app and replacing it with a paid app that has a subscription bundled.

What the actual fuck!!?

I used WordPad so much growing up. I fucking HATED Word and the office applications as a kid, WordPad just worked and just did writing, which is what I wanted to do.

I provide support for a Windows-only application that has to do automated document conversion. Some customers refuse to pay for an additional Office license and the only other option is WordPad. Going back to work on Tuesday is going to suck.

RIP WordPad coders.

I use VSCodium instead.

oh no, anyway

It was lighter than word or libre and had formatting, unlike simple word editors like notepad++. Bummer to see it go but surely there is (or will be) an alternative

I just use notepad++ when I have to use Windows PCs.

If they remove sticky notes I'm going to lose my shit.

I use notepad anyways

As long as they stay the fuck away from notepad

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I used to use WordPad a lot, I'd just press Win+R and enter "write"...

Now I get by with Libreoffice.

I guess it's time to go back to Microsoft Works

I honestly didn't even know it was still around. The last time I opened it was... Windows 7, I think?

thanks for nothing, hitler

I get it. MS has a “free” rich text editor, it’s Word online. You can easily install any other simple rich text editor (is abiword still a thing?) on Windows. Wordpad probably has minimal usage.

No wtf microsoft!!

At least there's Notepad++. An absolute end of an era.

A good alternative is abiword. Don't know if it exists on Windows tho.

Install Linux, use whatever the hell you like

Linux, BSD, and macOS users:

You can add it back to the library from an older edition, and it will run fine if you want it badly enough.

"No one's paying for Microsoft Word, that thing that used to be free so... We gotta kill this so people too fucking stupid to use Libre Office get on board."

eh, there's plenty of tools out there like notepad++, atom, obsidian, etc.

I can see truth to either position presented in these comments, but I don't like being a fence sitter. That being said, I would think making it available but not mandatory would satisfy both opinions, right? Making it unavailable altogether is a move that seems to have an ulterior motive.

how will I read the instructions a vendor sent me for a windows server that is a word doc because who knows? Oh no... Anyway

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Oh for fucks sake

"Looks like you'll have to pay for Word instead"

Another advertisement for Linux...

Quill is free.

I was using WordPad a few times when I was a teenager on windows 95. :) Nostalgic to hear that name again.

I use textpad for helping with coding and note keeping. No goddamn text formatting, just plain ascii with windows or unix line endings. Quick and easy macros, etc.

Off to the retirement home

Not a huge problem for me: (1) Never really used wordpad. (2) Used WordPerfect from 1999-2003 (3) Used Open Office and Libre Office since 2003 (4) I use Linux now

So this is annoying for me. I have been using WordPad and .rtf format for all my notes for mabey 15 years.

I've been meaning to jump to a markdown editor for a long time, and after this news I've already started using MarkText. I probably should have jumped ship a long time ago, but at least I'm on the path now.

I will have to figure out a neat way to convert my .rtf notes to .md.

Unpopular opinion, I never used WordPress.