Editing WordPad

{{short description|Basic word processor formerly included with Microsoft Windows}}
{{distinguish|Windows Notepad|Microsoft Write|Microsoft Word}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2017}}
{{Infobox software
| name = WordPad
| logo = Microsoft Wordpad logo.png
| logo caption = 
| logo size = 80px
| logo alt = The WordPad Logo
| screenshot = Wordpad screenshot.png
| caption = Screenshot of WordPad in Windows 11
| developer = [[Microsoft]]
| released = {{Start date and age|August 24, 1995}}
| discontinued = yes
| latest release version = [[Windows 11, version 23H2]]<!-- Build 26016-->
| repo = {{URL|https://github.com/microsoft/VCSamples/tree/master/VC2010Samples/MFC/Visual%20C%2B%2B%202008%20Feature%20Pack/WordPad
|WordPad Sample: MFC WordPad Application}} (early version)
| programming language = [[C++]]
| replaces = [[Microsoft Write]]
| replaced_by = <!--[[Microsoft Word]] or [[Windows Notepad]] (suggested)-->
| operating system = [[Windows 95]] and [[Comparison of Microsoft Windows versions|higher]]
| platform = [[IA-32]], [[x86-64]], and [[ARM architecture|ARM]]
| genre = [[Word processor]]
}}

'''WordPad''' is<!-- Do not change to "was". Discontinued software are not things that no longer exist. --> a [[word processor]] software designed by [[Microsoft]] that was included in versions of [[Microsoft Windows|Windows]] from [[Windows 95]] through [[Windows 11, version 23H2]]. Similarly to its predecessor [[Microsoft Write]], it served as a basic word processor, positioned as more advanced than the [[Windows Notepad|Notepad]] [[text editor]] by supporting [[rich text editing]], but with a subset of the functionality of [[Microsoft Word]].  Microsoft removed WordPad in [[Windows 11 24H2]]<ref> {{Cite web |last=Blog |first=Windows Insider |last2=Team |first2=Windows Insider Program |date=2024-05-22 |title=Releasing Windows 11, version 24H2 to the Release Preview Channel |url=https://blogs.windows.com/windows-insider/2024/05/22/releasing-windows-11-version-24h2-to-the-release-preview-channel/ |access-date=2024-09-08 |website=Windows Insider Blog |language=en-US}}</ref> and it has no successor.<ref>{{Cite web |last=mestew |date=2024-02-09 |title=Deprecated features in the Windows client - What's new in Windows |url=https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/whats-new/deprecated-features |access-date=2024-02-22 |website=learn.microsoft.com |language=en-us}}</ref> 

Earlier versions primarily supported a subset of the [[Rich Text Format]] (RTF, .rtf) and [[Doc (computing)|Microsoft Word 6.0 formats]], although later versions are also capable of saving [[Office Open XML]] (OOXML, .docx) and [[OpenDocument Text]] (.odt) files.

==Features==
[[File:Windows CE 5.0 WordPad in Emulator.png|thumb|WordPad running on [[Windows CE 5.0]]]]
WordPad can format and print text, including font and bold, italic, colored, and centered text, and lacks functions such as a [[spell checker]], [[thesaurus]], and control of [[pagination]]. It does not support footnotes and endnotes. WordPad can read, render, and save many [[Rich Text Format]] (RTF) features that it cannot create, such as tables, strikeout, [[superscript]], subscript, "extra" colors, text background colors, numbered lists, right and left indentation, quasi-[[hypertext]] and URL linking, and line-spacing greater than 1. It is simpler and faster than a richly-featured word processor, with low system resource use. Pasting into WordPad from an HTML document, such as a Web page or email, typically automatically converts most or all of it to RTF, depending partly on the Web browser from which the text is copied. WordPad is suited to taking notes; writing letters and stories; and use on various tablets, PCs, and smart phones. It is unsuitable for work that relies heavily on graphics and typesetting, such as most publishing-industry requirements for rendering final hard copy.

A character not on the keyboard can be entered into WordPad by typing its hexadecimal [[code point]] in [[Unicode]] followed by {{key press|Alt|X}}. Likewise, the code point of a character from another application can be determined by [[cut, copy, and paste|copying]] it into WordPad followed by {{key press|Alt|X}}.

WordPad does not support all the features defined in the RTF/Word 2007 specification.{{Citation needed|date=September 2011}} Earlier versions of WordPad also supported the "Word for Windows 6.0" format, which is [[Forward compatibility|forward compatible]] with the Microsoft Word format.<ref name="DocGone" />

In Windows 95, 98, and 2000, WordPad uses Microsoft's RichEdit control, versions 1.0, 2.0, and 3.0, respectively.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://blogs.msdn.com/murrays/archive/2010/01/13/richedit-versions-1-0-through-3-0.aspx |title=RichEdit Versions 1.0 through 3.0 – Murray Sargent: Math in Office |website=Blogs.msdn.com |date=2010-01-12 |access-date=2017-01-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100118002540/http://blogs.msdn.com/murrays/archive/2010/01/13/richedit-versions-1-0-through-3-0.aspx |archive-date=18 January 2010 |url-status=live |df=dmy-all }}</ref> In Windows XP SP1 and later,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://blogs.msdn.com/murrays/archive/2006/10/14/richedit-versions.aspx |title=RichEdit versions – Murray Sargent: Math in Office |website=Blogs.msdn.com |date=2006-10-13 |access-date=2017-01-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100123145455/http://blogs.msdn.com/murrays/archive/2006/10/14/richedit-versions.aspx |archive-date=23 January 2010 |url-status=live |df=dmy-all }}</ref> and Windows 7, it uses RichEdit 4.1.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://blogs.msdn.com/murrays/archive/2009/06/19/wordpad-numbering-limit.aspx |title=WordPad Numbering Limit – Murray Sargent: Math in Office |website=Blogs.msdn.com |date=2009-06-19 |access-date=2017-01-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090620203959/http://blogs.msdn.com/murrays/archive/2009/06/19/wordpad-numbering-limit.aspx |archive-date=20 June 2009 |url-status=live |df=dmy-all }}</ref>

A similar word processor, also called WordPad and with simple functionality, is supplied by some vendors on a [[Windows CE]] pre-installation.<ref>[https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/previous-versions/windows/embedded/gg469874%28v%3dwinembedded.70%29 WordPad (Compact 7) | Microsoft Docs]</ref> Its [[icon (computing)|icon]] resembles an early [[Microsoft Word]] icon.

==History==
{| class="wikitable floatright" style="width:300px"
|+ Supported file formats
!File format
!Description
|-
|.doc
| [[Doc (computing)|Microsoft Word Binary File Format]]; support for this format was removed in Windows Vista<ref name="DocGone" />
|-
|.docx
|[[Office Open XML file formats|Office Open XML Document formats]]; added in Windows 7<ref name="EnterNewFormats" />
|-
|.odt
|[[OpenDocument|OpenDocument text format]]; added in Windows 7<ref name="EnterNewFormats" /><ref name="ODFSupport" />
|-
|.rtf
|[[Rich Text Format]]
|-
|.txt
|[[Text file]]
|-
|.wri
|[[Microsoft Write]]; disabled in [[Windows XP SP2]] unless registry hack is used.<ref name=mskb883090>{{cite web|url=http://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/883090|title=Error message when you open a document file in Windows XP Service Pack 2 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150803155540/http://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/883090|archivedate=2015-08-03}}</ref> Support was removed in Vista.<ref name=mssupport-20131111>[http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/all/no-programme-will-display-old-wri-files-correctly/4da190b6-2fd0-4c7a-92a0-a792fc22344d No programme will display old *.wri files correctly]</ref> Microsoft Word 2013 can open such files, but may lose formatting.<ref>[http://www.betaarchive.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=32140 How to open WRI files in Windows 7/8?]</ref>
|-
|}

WordPad was introduced in Windows 95, replacing [[Microsoft Write]], included with all previous versions of Windows (version 3.11 and earlier). The source code to WordPad was also distributed by Microsoft as a [[Microsoft Foundation Class Library]] sample application with MFC 3.2 and later, shortly before the release of Windows 95. It is still available for download from the [[MSDN]] website.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/51y8h3tk(vs.71).aspx |title=WORDPAD Sample: The Windows Application |website=Msdn2.microsoft.com |date=2016-12-26|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070429125746/http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/51y8h3tk(vs.71).aspx |archive-date=29 April 2007 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all }}</ref>

The default font used in Windows 95 to Windows Vista was 10[[Point (typography)|pt]] Arial; in Windows 7 it was changed to 11pt Calibri.

WordPad for [[Windows 2000]]/[[Windows XP|XP]] added full Unicode support, enabling WordPad to support multiple languages, but [[big endian]] [[UTF-16/UCS-2]] is not supported. It can open [[Microsoft Word]] (versions 6.0–2003) files,{{Citation needed|date=September 2011}} although it opens newer versions of the .doc format with incorrect formatting. Also, unlike previous WordPad versions, it cannot save files in the [[.doc]] format (only [[.txt]] and [[.rtf]]). Files saved as Unicode text are encoded as UTF-16 LE. As a security measure Windows XP Service Pack 2 and later versions of Windows and its service packs reduced support for opening <kbd>[[.WRI]]</kbd>.

[[Windows 10]] and later versions support voice typing. [[Windows XP Tablet PC Edition]] SP2 and [[Windows Vista]] include [[speech recognition]], allowing dictation into WordPad. These and later Windows versions implement the RichEdit control, allowing WordPad to support extensible third-party services built using the ''[[Text Services Framework]]'' (TSF), such as grammar and spellcheck.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa371122.aspx |title=Enabling Text Correction for Custom Ink Collectors (Windows) |website=Msdn2.microsoft.com |date=2016-12-26 |access-date=2017-01-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070913111743/http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa371122.aspx |archive-date=13 September 2007 |url-status=live |df=dmy-all }}</ref>

In Windows Vista support for reading Microsoft Word [[DOC (computing)|DOC]] files was removed because of the incorrect rendering and formatting problems, and because a Microsoft security bulletin reported a security vulnerability in opening Word files in WordPad.<ref name="DocGone">{{cite web |url=http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/MS09-010.mspx |title=Microsoft Security Bulletin MS09-010 - Critical |website=Microsoft.com |access-date=2017-01-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090901181012/http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/MS09-010.mspx |archive-date=1 September 2009 |url-status=live |df=dmy-all }}</ref> For viewing older (Word 97–2003), and [[Office Open XML]], documents, Microsoft recommends free-of-charge [[Microsoft Word Viewer]]. Native Office Open XML and [[OpenDocument|ODF]] 1.1 support was implemented in the [[Windows 7]] version of WordPad.<ref name="EnterNewFormats">{{cite web|title=Windows 7: The Top 10 Hidden Features|url=https://www.pcmag.com/slideshow_viewer/0,3253,l=255105&a=255105&po=3,00.asp|work=[[PC Magazine]]|publisher=[[Ziff Davis]]|access-date=3 April 2013|date=30 September 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130411142230/http://www.pcmag.com/slideshow_viewer/0%2C3253%2Cl%3D255105%26a%3D255105%26po%3D3%2C00.asp|archive-date=11 April 2013|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Using WordPad|url=http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/Using-WordPad|work=Windows portal|publisher=Microsoft|access-date=3 April 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130328213616/http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/Using-WordPad|archive-date=28 March 2013|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref name="ODFSupport">{{cite web|title=[MS-WPODF]: WordPad ODF 1.1 Standards Support|url=https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/openspecs/wordpad_standards_support/ms-wpodf/b200dcfd-c4de-475d-94d1-bf0223aa8387|website=Microsoft Docs|date=30 October 2020 |publisher=Microsoft|access-date=10 September 2021}}</ref>

In Windows 7 the program's user interface was updated to use a [[Ribbon (computing)|ribbon]], similar to those in [[Microsoft Office]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Thurrott|first=Paul|title=Windows 7 Feature Focus: Scenic Ribbon, Paint and WordPad|url=http://winsupersite.com/windows-7/windows-7-feature-focus-scenic-ribbon-paint-and-wordpad|work=Supersite for Windows|publisher=[[Penton Media]]|access-date=3 April 2013|date=6 October 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130313102040/http://winsupersite.com/windows-7/windows-7-feature-focus-scenic-ribbon-paint-and-wordpad|archive-date=13 March 2013|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

In January 2020, a [[Windows Insider]] build of [[Windows 10]] tested an advertisement steering WordPad users to [[Office Online|Office web apps]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.extremetech.com/computing/305131-microsoft-is-testing-ads-in-wordpad-you-might-actually-be-glad-to-see|title=Microsoft is Testing Ads in Wordpad You Might Actually Be Glad to See -|website=ExtremeTech|date=22 January 2020 |access-date=2020-01-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200122194519/https://www.extremetech.com/computing/305131-microsoft-is-testing-ads-in-wordpad-you-might-actually-be-glad-to-see|archive-date=22 January 2020|url-status=live|last1=Hruska |first1=Joel }}</ref>

=== Discontinuation ===
In September 2023, Microsoft announced that WordPad will be removed from "a future release of Windows", recommending [[Windows Notepad]] and Microsoft Word.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Warren |first=Tom |date=2023-09-03 |title=Microsoft is removing WordPad from Windows after nearly 30 years |url=https://www.theverge.com/2023/9/3/23857331/microsoft-wordpad-windows-removal-end-of-support |access-date=2023-09-04 |website=The Verge |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Main |first=Nikki |date=4 September 2023 |title=Three Decades After Launch, Microsoft's WordPad Is Headed to the Trash Bin |url=https://gizmodo.com/microsoft-is-killing-wordpad-1850805768 |website=Gizmodo}}</ref> In January 2024, WordPad was no longer auto-installed after a [[Installation (computer programs)#Clean installation|clean installation]] of the OS with the release of the [[Windows 11]] Build 26020 Insider Preview’s Canary Channel. Furthermore, Microsoft stated that WordPad will be officially removed in future updates, and it will not be available for reinstallation.<ref name="Rashid 2024 z812">{{cite web | last=Rashid | first=Dua | title=RIP Microsoft WordPad. You Will Be Missed | website=Gizmodo | date=2024-01-06 | url=https://gizmodo.com/microsoft-wordpad-gone-windows-11-1851144100 | access-date=2024-01-13}}</ref><ref name="Kaur 2024 k565">{{cite web | last=Kaur | first=Gagandeep | title=Microsoft bids adieu to WordPad | website=Computerworld | date=2024-01-08 | url=https://www.computerworld.com/article/3712100/microsoft-bids-adieu-to-wordpad.html | access-date=2024-01-13}}</ref> Microsoft recommended using Microsoft Word for rich text documents like [[.doc]] and [[.rtf]], while Notepad is suggested for plain text documents like [[.txt]].<ref name="Rashid 2024 z812" /><ref name="Kaur 2024 k565" />

==See also==
* [[Jarte]] &ndash; a word processor based on the WordPad engine
* [[List of word processors]]
* [[Comparison of word processors]]

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

{{Word processors}}
{{Windows Components}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:1995 software]]
[[Category:Windows components]]
[[Category:Windows word processors]]
[[Category:Discontinued Windows components]]
[[Category:Discontinued Microsoft software]]