Microsoft deprecated a lot of Windows features in 2023. One of them was WordPad, the default rich text editor introduced years ago. Most of the time, Microsoft allows users to continue using deprecated features or install them as additional components after their removal. However, this is not the case with WordPad. The company is about to delete WordPad from Windows 11, and it will not allow installing it back.
Microsoft announced its plans to get rid of WordPad in the latest Canary build. Starting with build 26020, WordPad is no longer bundled with the operating system. More importantly, Microsoft said the app "will not be reinstallable."
Starting with this build, the WordPad and People apps will no longer be installed after doing a clean install of the OS. In a future flight, WordPad will be removed on upgrade. WordPad will not be reinstallable. WordPad is a deprecated Windows feature. For more information on the future of the People app, click here.
Although there will be no official method to restore this good-old, simple text editor, enthusiasts will most likely find a way to shove it back into Windows 11. You can easily find manuals and executables that let you install the stock games from Windows 7, legacy image viewer, and other components. Just make sure you trust the source before installing unknown exe files found on the internet.
A similar fate awaits for Steps Recorder (psr.exe). Microsoft is not removing it from the operating system (yet), but there is already a banner with a notification that the app is no longer in active development.
Fortunately, there is no shortage of solid text editors for Windows, both free and premium. Microsoft naturally wants you to sign up for Microsoft 365 to edit doc, rtf, and other text files in Word, but you can also use Office Online for free or jump ship to third-party alternatives. As for Steps Editor, Microsoft suggests using Snipping Tool, Xbox Game Bar, or Microsoft Clipchamp. None of those can fully replace features available in Steps Recorder, so maybe you should look elsewhere.
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