Microsoft is set to retire its long-standing WordPad application in future versions of the Windows operating system, according to the Windows Insider Blog detailing the latest Windows 11 Canary Channel build.

The blog post reveals that, starting with this build, WordPad and People apps will no longer be installed after a clean OS install. In a subsequent flight, WordPad is scheduled for complete removal during upgrades, and the application won't be reinstallable. Microsoft classifies WordPad as a deprecated Windows feature, indicating that it is no longer in active development and may be removed in future releases.

While the deprecation of WordPad has been noted since September 1 of the previous year, the company recommends Microsoft Word for rich text documents (.doc and .rtf) and Windows Notepad for plain text documents (.txt).

The deprecation aligns with Microsoft's strategy to encourage users to leverage alternative tools for different document types.

Despite the announcement, WordPad still remains in the stable version of Windows 11 for now. The upcoming changes are expected to undergo testing in the beta and developer channels before being implemented in the mainstream Windows 11 release. The move signifies a shift in Microsoft's approach to native applications, prioritizing more specialized tools like Microsoft Word and Windows Notepad for users' document processing needs.