Windows 11 is cleaning up the house as long-standing apps like WordPad and Cortana get the ax in a new preview build
Microsoft is gearing up to roll out a pretty substantial update for Windows 11, 24H2, with the update currently going through the final stages of testing. According to recent reports, this will mean the end of several long-standing Microsoft products, including Cortana and WordPad, along with some other old Windows 11 features.
There is a preliminary list of Windows features that are currently being discontinued on the official Microsoft Learn blog, although not all of them have a confirmed date. However, Swedish tech news site Sweclocker has shared that the first 24H2 release candidate version is now available through the Windows Insider program. The final version that will be rolled out to all Windows 11 users is expected to be released in September or October.
We wrote a while ago about the announcements of the retirement of WordPad and Cortana, with Cortana making way for Microsoft’s new universal digital AI assistant, Copilot. Tips is another app that will be absent from this build, along with Step Recorder. Steps Recorder is a built-in Windows utility tool that allows recording and analyzing user actions to troubleshoot problems with their device.
These are just some of the apps and features shipping to the Microsoft Graveyard, but the preview release candidate build also brings new features, as detailed in an official Windows Blogs post. This includes support for HDR wallpapers, the ability to create 7-zip and TAR archives directly in File Explorer, and improvements to Bluetooth connectivity for certain devices.
Copilot also gets a boost in this update, with the dedicated app rolling out to all Windows 11 users. It also gives users the ability to move, resize, and snap the Copilot window.
Reflecting on the bygone era and the future of Windows 11
Cortana wasn’t the biggest hit among Windows users and I doubt many will miss it, but there was a pretty loud reaction from users lamenting the news that WordPad was coming. WordPad is a simple text editor that has been a standard application on Windows devices since the 1990s, and many people have grown to love it, especially as an increasing number of well-known apps have become more complex and injected with often unwanted AI features.
If enough people continue to express their thoughts and positive feelings about WordPad, we might see it return as an optional download from the Microsoft Store – like what happened with the Paint app that has since been given a new lease of life. PCGamer speculates that for most of these apps and features, with the exception of Cortana, Microsoft may not want to continue maintaining these apps and would rather spend those resources elsewhere – a move that could lead to more users getting a Microsoft Get a 365 subscription.
Some of these features and apps, like Steps Recorder, won’t be particularly missed by me, but I personally hope that Microsoft will reconsider giving WordPad a permanent boost. It would be an easy win that would remind users that Microsoft doesn’t completely plug its ears when it comes to user opinions and that it’s still willing to leave things that aren’t broken – even if they aren’t the biggest moneymakers.