One of the classic Windows apps is reaching its end. After years being bundled with the operating system by default, WordPad found its death with Windows 11. Microsoft has deprecated it and is going to remove it with one of the upcoming OS versions.
WordPad was originally a successor of the Write editor, which was part of Windows 3.11. It allows composing an RTF document using basic formatting tools like font size, bold/italic styles, and a few more.
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It debuted under the new name in Windows 95, and existed without drastic changes until Windows 7. In Windows 7 the app received a UI overhaul, featuring the Ribbon toolbar, and ODF format support. Now in Windows 11, Microsoft ends support for this app, calling it deprecated and suggesting to go with the Word app instead.
WordPad is no longer being updated and will be removed in a future release of Windows. We recommend Microsoft Word for rich text documents like .doc and .rtf and Windows Notepad for plain text documents like .txt.
The appropriate announcement has been made on September 1, 2023. It is unlikely that the company will kill WordPad right in the upcoming Windows 11 version 23H2. The latter is expected to be a small update for version 22H2. So the removal may be set to be done in "Windows 12", the next big update to the OS.
In addition to Word, for plain text editing Microsoft recommends the inbox Notepad app. It has received several improvements and new features over past 3 years. Now it doesn't hang when you edit large files, supports Unix line endings, dark theme and tabs. Also, the latter update enables Notepad to save and restore your unsaved edits for open documents. So if you suddenly close the app, you won't lose a single unsaved change.
The situation around WordPad is quite expected. Starting with Windows 10, it remains an optional system component. However, for some reason, Microsoft kept it installed by default. Perhaps Microsoft's telemetry shows low demand for the app, so now company decided not to waste resources on the classic editor.
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It make sense since majority just install Microsoft Office or having MS 365 subscription, or switching to free alternatives (i.e. LibreOffice, OpenOffice).
LibreOffice is great for its zero price.