Microsoft will not be updating WordPad anymore and will be removing it via a future Windows release. Instead, Redmond’s tech giant is recommending its paid and honestly, better and feature-rich word processing application – Microsoft Word for rich text documents and Windows Notepad for simpler and plainer text documents.
This comes after a report that Microsoft is revamping its Notepad to maybe compete with the likes of Apple Notes, available on Mac. One notable tip says that the revamp will allow Notepad to “auto save and auto restore tabs” which may be truly helpful.
Microsoft Word vs WordPad: 5 key differences
| Microsoft Word | WordPad | |
| Pricing | Paid | Free |
| Features | Advanced and feature-rich. Includes option to add tables, chart, graphics, comments, grammar and spell check. Also, it supports extensions like Grammarly. | Basic text formatting options. |
| Compatibility | Can save in multiple file formats such as *.doc, *.docx, *.pdf, *.rtf, etc. | Can save files only in *.rtf and *.txt. |
| Platforms available on | Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, Web | Windows |
| Which is easier to use? | Word may seem a bit more complex to use due to the plethora of options. | WordPad is light and easier to deploy and manage. |
| Released in | 1983 | 1995 |
WordPad’s on-and-off journey
It first came out with Windows 95 in the year 1995, replacing Windows Write – which shipped with the original Windows. Easier explained, if we put Microsoft Word, WordPad and Notepad in one space and compare the three; it would find its place as less-feature-rich than MS Word, but an upgrade over current Notepad.
Microsoft last revamped it with Windows 7 – nearly 14 years earlier – to match the aesthetics. And, now we bid goodbye to WordPad and keep an eye on the expected revamp of Notepad in Windows 12.
