Ángel Jiménez from Luis USA
USA
Updated Monday, April 1, 2024-17:48
The next big update to Windows 11 will put an end to one of the most useful applications that come standard with the operating system. Microsoft has confirmed that the WordPad word processor
will disappear forever
.
The announcement is not entirely a surprise. Some of the Windows 11 betas released earlier this year no longer displayed the app, which Microsoft officially stopped updating last year. It seemed clear that WordPad was destined to disappear sooner rather than later. Now, the company has finally set a definitive date: the
Windows 11 24H2
update , which will arrive this coming fall.
In a list of proposed changes for this new version, the company explains that "WordPad will be removed from
all editions of Windows
starting with Windows 11, version 24H2 and Windows Server 2025."
This word processor began to be distributed alongside Windows 28 years ago, with the arrival of Windows 95. It was a slightly more advanced editor than the Notepad application, since it allowed formatting to be added to texts, with paragraphs, indentations and various types of fonts. It never had the variety of tools and options of Microsoft's most advanced (and paid) processor,
Word
, but it allowed you to create structured documents ready to print.
The disappearance is unlikely to be noticed. In recent years, free and cloud alternatives such as
Google Docs
or Word itself have eliminated the need to have dedicated applications installed in the operating system for tasks as mundane as composing text.
From Microsoft, in fact, they recommend from now on using the cloud version of Microsoft Word for rich text documents
such as .doc and .rtf
and Windows Notepad for plain text documents such as .txt."
This version requires registration and a Microsoft account (also free). It has fewer functions than the Word version included in the
Office 365 subscription
(the company's office suite), but it offers more functions than WordPad had until now and the advantage of making documents accessible from any computer connected to the network.