Windows 11 24H2 sees Microsoft finally axe WordPad - but there's a way you can keep the app

Windows 11 no longer has WordPad, with Microsoft finally giving the venerable app the chop with the 24H2 update.

This comes as no surprise, because Microsoft had already deprecated WordPad - that happened late in 2023 - marking it for removal from Windows 11. Following that, it was yanked from test builds of the OS at the start of 2024, and we were informed that the app would be cast out of Windows 11 when the 24H2 update came around.

Well, 24H2 is now here - or it's rolling out, anyway - and as promised, there is no WordPad anymore. Furthermore, fresh installs of Windows 11 won't come with WordPad either.

That leaves Notepad in place as your remaining stock app as a text editor, and Word for proper word processing, with nothing in-between (WordPad was the midpoint between the two, of course).

Notepad is more liked than WordPad, for sure - and used by coders a great deal - but still, there are folks who will miss the middle of the road compromise that the latter represented.

That said, since WordPad was given its marching orders earlier this year, Microsoft has bolted new features onto Notepad to flesh it out a bit more - like a spell-check and autocorrect. So, that's kind of a touch of compensation for those who used WordPad, and will no longer be able to. Notepad is still far more barebones, though, and the idea is it's a lightweight and streamlined app - some folks don't like the mentioned embellishments such as spell-checking.

For those who really want to stick with using WordPad, there is a fudge to keep the app alive, as illustrated by BrenTech on YouTube - check out the above video clip. The problem is that obviously WordPad won't receive updates going forward, so rogue WordPad users could be subject to security risks which likely aren't worth chancing in the end. Still, the option is there, if you want to take it.

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