WordPad

WordPad is the basic word processor that has been included with almost all versions of Microsoft Windows from Windows 95 on. It is more advanced than Microsoft Notepad, and simpler than Microsoft Word and Microsoft Works (last updated in 2007). WordPad replaced Microsoft Write.

Not to be confused with Microsoft Notepad, Microsoft Write, or Microsoft Word.
WordPad
Developer(s)Microsoft
Stable release
2004 (10.0.19041.450) (August 11, 2020 (2020-08-11)[1]) [±]
Operating systemWindows 95 and higher
PredecessorMicrosoft Write
TypeWord processor

Features

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. Among its advantages are low system-resource usage, simplicity, and speed. Pasting into WordPad from an HTML document, such as a Web page or email, typically automatically converts most or all of it to RTF (this depends partly on the Web browser from which the text us copied). WordPad is suited to taking notes; writing letters and stories; and use on various tablets, PCs, and smart phones. It is underpowered 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 Alt+X. Likewise, the code point of a character from another application can be determined by copying it into Wordpad followed by Alt+X.

Although WordPad supports RTF it does not support all the features defined in the RTF/Word 2007 specification. Previous versions of WordPad also supported the "Word for Windows 6.0" format, which is forward compatible with the Microsoft Word format.

In Windows 95, 98, and 2000, WordPad uses Microsoft's RichEdit control, versions 1.0, 2.0, and 3.0 respectively.[2] In Windows XP SP1 and later, it uses RichEdit 4.1;[3] the same is true in Windows 7.[4]

WordPad for Windows XP added full Unicode support, enabling WordPad to support multiple languages, but UTF-16/UCS-2 Big Endian is not supported. It can open Microsoft Word (versions 6.0–2003) files, 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. For the sake of security, Windows XP Service Pack 2 and later versions of Windows and its services packs reduced support for opening .WRI.

WordPad running on Windows CE 5.0

Windows XP Tablet PC Edition SP2 and Windows Vista include speech recognition, allowing dictation into WordPad. In these and later Windows versions, the RichEdit control exists, making WordPad support extensible third-party services (such as grammar and spell check) built using the Text Services Framework (TSF).[5]

In Windows Vista, support for reading Microsoft Word 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.[6] For viewing older (97–2003) as well as newer (Office Open XML) documents, Microsoft recommends Word Viewer, which is available free. Native Office Open XML and ODF support was released in the Windows 7 version of WordPad.[7][8]

In Windows 7, the program's user interface was updated to use a ribbon toolbar, similar to those in Microsoft Office.[9]

In a 2020 insider build of Windows 10, WordPad is modified to include advertising notifications for the Office web apps as an alternative [to what?].[10]

History

WordPad was introduced in Windows 95, replacing Microsoft Write, which came 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 Classes 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.[11]

The default font used in Windows 95 to Windows Vista was Arial 10; in Windows 7 it was changed to Calibri 11.

A similar word processor, also called WordPad, is supplied by some vendors on a Windows CE pre-installation.[12] It has simple functionality like its desktop OS cousin. The icon resembles an early Microsoft Word icon.

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gollark: Invoke the power of the crabs.
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gollark: YOU should entËr the cubÖctaHËdron.

See also

References
  1. "July 31, 2020—KB4566782 (OS Build 19041.450)". Microsoft Support. 11 August 2020. Retrieved 11 August 2020.
  2. "RichEdit Versions 1.0 through 3.0 – Murray Sargent: Math in Office". Blogs.msdn.com. 12 January 2010. Archived from the original on 18 January 2010. Retrieved 10 January 2017.
  3. "RichEdit versions – Murray Sargent: Math in Office". Blogs.msdn.com. 13 October 2006. Archived from the original on 23 January 2010. Retrieved 10 January 2017.
  4. "WordPad Numbering Limit – Murray Sargent: Math in Office". Blogs.msdn.com. 19 June 2009. Archived from the original on 20 June 2009. Retrieved 10 January 2017.
  5. "Enabling Text Correction for Custom Ink Collectors (Windows)". Msdn2.microsoft.com. 26 December 2016. Archived from the original on 13 September 2007. Retrieved 10 January 2017.
  6. "Microsoft Security Bulletin MS09-010 - Critical". Microsoft.com. Archived from the original on 1 September 2009. Retrieved 10 January 2017.
  7. "Windows 7: The Top 10 Hidden Features". PC Magazine. Ziff Davis. 30 September 2010. Archived from the original on 11 April 2013. Retrieved 3 April 2013.
  8. "Using WordPad". Windows portal. Microsoft. Archived from the original on 28 March 2013. Retrieved 3 April 2013.
  9. Thurrott, Paul (6 October 2010). "Windows 7 Feature Focus: Scenic Ribbon, Paint and WordPad". Supersite for Windows. Penton Media. Archived from the original on 13 March 2013. Retrieved 3 April 2013.
  10. "Microsoft is Testing Ads in Wordpad You Might Actually Be Glad to See -". ExtremeTech. Archived from the original on 22 January 2020. Retrieved 22 January 2020.
  11. "WORDPAD Sample: The Windows Application". Msdn2.microsoft.com. 26 December 2016. Archived from the original on 29 April 2007. Retrieved 10 January 2017.
  12. WordPad (Compact 7) | Microsoft Docs

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