What happened to WordPad
- Microsoft announced WordPad as deprecated on 1 September 2023.
- It was removed from Windows 11 version 24H2 (released in October 2024) and from Windows Server 2025, on new installs and on upgrades.
- There's no official way to reinstall it, and no Microsoft version in the Store.
- Copying
wordpad.exefrom an older PC is sometimes suggested online. It isn't supported, gets no security fixes, and can break with the next Windows update.
What WordPad did, and what replaces it
| Job | WordPad | Metre2 Rich Text Editor |
|---|---|---|
| Open and save .rtf | Yes | Yes |
| Open and save .docx and .odt | Yes | Yes |
| Plain .txt | Yes | Yes |
| Fonts, colours, bold, bullets, alignment, indents | Yes | Yes, on a similar ribbon |
| Pictures, date and time | Yes | Yes |
| Tables | No | Yes |
| Find and replace, zoom, word count | Find, replace and zoom | Yes |
| Save as PDF | Only by printing to PDF | Yes |
| Recovery copy if the PC crashes | No | Yes, in the Windows app |
| Spell check, headers and footers, templates, mail merge | No | In Rich Text Editor Pro |
Open your old WordPad files
In your browser: open Rich Text Editor in your browser, choose Open and pick the file. It's read on your computer and nothing is uploaded.
In the Windows app: right-click an .rtf file, choose Open with > Choose another app, pick Metre2 Rich Text Editor and select Always. From then on, double-clicking any .rtf file opens it.
If a .docx or .odt document has something the editor can't keep, such as comments, tracked changes or text boxes, it tells you when you open it and asks before saving over the original. Old .doc files (the 1997-2003 format) need saving as .docx first in a program that opens them.
Browser edition or Windows app?
| Browser edition | Windows app | |
|---|---|---|
| Install | Nothing to install | Free from the Microsoft Store |
| Files | Opened and saved through the browser, never uploaded | Double-click to open, Open with, recent files |
| Best for | The odd letter or an .rtf someone sent you | Everyday use as your WordPad |
Rich Text Editor Pro is a one-off £9.99 upgrade with templates (letter, memo, fax cover sheet and your own), mail merge from a spreadsheet, headers, footers and page numbers, tabs, saved styles, UK English spell check and export to HTML and Markdown.
If you only need plain text
For shopping lists, quick notes and .txt files, Notepad is still built into Windows 11 and is perfectly good. It's only once you want formatting, pictures or .rtf files that you need something more.