Microsoft released the 2024 feature update for Windows 11 last week. The new update is already rolling out to eligible devices. Although it will take several weeks or months to reach all devices, it is only a matter of time before it reaches most unmanaged devices.
The main changes of the update are more AI, Wi-Fi 7 support, sudo for Windows, and many other changes. Microsoft also removed features. The most visible is probably the rich text editor WordPad.
WordPad can be used to open plain text files, Rich Text Format documents (.rtf), Microsoft Word documents (.doc, .docx) as well as OpenGL formats (.odt, OOXML).
wordpad is gone
Only some users may notice that the classic WordPad text editor is no longer available. Attempting to launch an app via Start fails, as the app does not return when you type the app's name. If you know its original location on the hard drive, which is “%ProgramFiles%Windows NTAccessorieswordpad.exe”, you will see that it is no longer there.
The feature update actually removed three WordPad files from the Windows installation. This happens regardless of whether the system is updated from an older version or freshly installed.
The three files in question are:
- wordpad.exe In C:Program FilesWindows NTAccessories
- wordpadfilter.dll In C:Program FilesWindows NTAccessories
- write.exe in C:Windows
Next to the two listed files in the WordPad directory are one or multiple subfolders. These use language codes and include strings for different languages.
Microsoft's official stance is to use Notepad for plain text editing and Microsoft Word, a commercial software, for rich text documents. While you can install a third-party app, LibreOffice comes to mind, to load WordPad's supported document formats, you can also reinstall WordPad on the device.
Comment: WordPad is no longer developed. The app will no longer receive updates, including security updates. Because of this it may stop working at one point.
Reinstalling WordPad on Windows 11
Microsoft removed WordPad files from Windows 11 version 24H2. To reinstall the Rich Text Editor, you simply need to restore the files. Chances are you no longer have them, as you'll need to back them up before running the update.
Many sites have already uploaded the files. But a better alternative has been made available this websiteThe software package includes all the necessary files and a good amount of space to run WordPress; This allows you to run WordPad in your language.
Comment: I verified the software package on VirusTotal. No problem was found in the scan.
- Download WordPad.zip archive from the website.
- Right-click the downloaded file and select Extract All.
- Accept the prompt that opens by selecting Extract.
- Run the installer to install WordPad on the system.
WordPad is available again and should run fine for now. Since the app is installed, you can remove it at any time from Settings > Apps > Installed apps.
tip: You can also view the download here deskmoderIt contains only three files. You can simply extract them and run them from any location.
concluding words
Microsoft did not give any reason for removing WordPad. One possible explanation is that Microsoft abandoned it in order to spend development resources elsewhere as well as increase sales for Office.
In addition to Microsoft 365, which is a subscription-based product that includes Office, there is also the new Office 2024 that arrived just in time for the Windows 11, version 24H2 release.
What is your favorite (rich) text editor on Windows? Was it WordPad or something else? Feel free to leave a comment below to join the discussion.
Thanks for reading..
