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Yes. Microsoft removed WordPad from every edition of Windows 11 version 24H2 and from Windows Server 2025. The change also removes Windows’ built-in default reader for rich-text (RTF) files. Microsoft recommends Word for .doc and .rtf documents, and Notepad for plain-text .txt files.
Is WordPad gone in Windows 11 24H2?
WordPad is no longer included beginning with Windows 11 version 24H2. Microsoft says the removal covers all editions of that release, as well as Windows Server 2025. The company had previously marked WordPad as deprecated and no longer being updated; its later documentation specifies the releases in which it disappears. See Microsoft’s Deprecated features in the Windows client documentation.
This is an operating-system change, not merely a shortcut or Start-menu change. Microsoft lists these removed files:
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Microsoft also tells developers not to create direct dependencies on WordPad or those binaries.
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What happens to existing RTF and WordPad documents?
Removing the application does not mean your saved documents are deleted. Files you already stored remain in their existing folders, but Windows may no longer have WordPad available to open them automatically after an upgrade or a clean installation of version 24H2.
The practical issue is file association: choose an installed application that supports the file’s format, or install one before opening the document.
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How to open an RTF file without WordPad
Microsoft’s documented recommendation is format-specific: “We recommend Microsoft Word for rich text documents like .doc and .rtf and Windows Notepad for plain text documents like .txt.” Notepad is therefore not a like-for-like RTF replacement; opening an RTF as plain text can expose its markup rather than render its formatting.
| File type | Document characteristics | Microsoft’s stated Windows recommendation |
|---|---|---|
.rtf |
Rich text with formatting such as fonts, styles and spacing | Microsoft Word |
.doc |
Rich-text Word document format | Microsoft Word |
.txt |
Plain text without rich formatting | Windows Notepad |
Set an application for future RTF files
- Right-click an
.rtffile in File Explorer and select Open with. - Choose Microsoft Word, then enable the option to always use that app for the file type if it is offered.
- If Word is not installed, select Choose another app and use another installed editor that explicitly supports RTF.
The Microsoft documentation identifies Word as its supported recommendation but does not compare third-party RTF editors, licensing, pricing or feature sets.
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Why Microsoft removed WordPad
Microsoft’s public documentation records the product’s deprecation and subsequent removal, but it does not provide a usage statistic, a named executive’s explanation or a detailed technical rationale. The documented consequence is straightforward: Windows no longer ships with a default built-in RTF reader.
Does “more apps will follow” mean Microsoft announced more removals?
No. Microsoft maintains lists of features that are deprecated or removed, but the WordPad entry does not announce a general schedule for removing additional apps and does not name a successor app that will be removed next. A broader pattern of consolidation is possible as an analysis of the list, but it should not be presented as an announced Microsoft plan.
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For a specific component, check its current status in Microsoft’s Windows client deprecated-features documentation. “Deprecated” generally signals that a feature is no longer being developed and may be removed later; it is not the same as a confirmed removal date.
What developers need to change
Applications that launch wordpad.exe, call write.exe, load wordpadfilter.dll or otherwise assume WordPad is present can fail on Windows 11 24H2 and Windows Server 2025. Microsoft’s guidance is to avoid direct dependencies on those files.
- Audit installers, file-open commands and registry associations for WordPad-specific paths.
- Do not treat the presence of any of the three binaries as a supported capability check.
- Provide a supported document workflow that does not require WordPad; the appropriate replacement depends on whether the content is rich text or plain text.
- Test on Windows 11 24H2 and Windows Server 2025, including upgrade scenarios where users retain existing documents.
The cited Microsoft entry does not prescribe a migration API or an automatic conversion procedure, so applications need to choose and document their own supported editor or document-processing path.
What Windows users should do now
- Identify any saved
.rtfor.docfiles that still rely on WordPad. - Install or obtain access to Microsoft Word, or another editor that explicitly supports those formats, before opening important files.
- Keep plain-text work in Notepad and avoid renaming an RTF file to
.txt; changing the extension does not convert the content. - After upgrading, verify the default application under Settings → Apps → Default apps if double-clicking a document opens the wrong program.
The Bottom Line
WordPad is definitively removed from all Windows 11 24H2 editions and Windows Server 2025. Use Word for rich-text files such as .rtf and .doc, Notepad for .txt, and treat claims about additional app removals as speculation unless Microsoft documents a specific feature and release.
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