In September 2023, Microsoft announced the surprising end of their free text editing program. For many, WordPad was a simple but useful alternative to Microsoft Word — but it’s no longer part of Windows.

Windows 11 24H2 is a significant update that includes features such as Sudo for Windows, but it removes WordPad.

Microsoft has been talking about dropping Wordpad from Windows 11 as it feels that not enough people use it anymore. There are so many MS Word alternatives and similar editors that Wordpad feels a bit redundant when the company wants to focus its resources on what's most important.

The Windows 11 24H2 rollout formally removes support for Wordpad as Microsoft formally adds in its deprecated feature, ending its 28 years of product lifespan.

Although WordPad's binary files remain in the latest Windows update, users cannot set it as the default application for opening RTF documents. Microsoft has stated that these file