How to Bring WordPad Back to Windows 11 24H2: Step-by-Step Guide

This practical guide explains how to bring WordPad Back to Windows 11 24H2 in a clear sequence, including preparation, key settings, common mistakes, and troubleshooting steps.

After nearly 30 years, Microsoft has removed WordPad from the Windows platform. If you have installed the Windows 11 24H2 update, you won't find WordPad in the program list. Many users find WordPad useful for quickly opening Word (DOCX) files in cases where Office is not installed.

In addition, WordPad also supports formats, so many people also use it to open RTF files. Thankfully, if you want to bring WordPad back to Windows 11 24H2, there is a way to do it. Here's how this method works.

Windows Latest has uploaded the necessary packages from build 23H2 to run WordPad. Go ahead and download files from OneDrive.

Once the download is complete, right-click and select 'Extract all' to extract the ZIP file.
Then, open the extracted folder and double-click 'wordpad.exe'.

Bring WordPad Back to Windows 11 24H2

WordPad will open immediately on a Windows 11 24H2 PC.
You can pin the WordPad application to the Taskbar for quick access.

Bring WordPad Back to Windows 11 24H2 example 2

If you are looking for a free WordPad alternative to open RTF files, you can consider LibreOffice or OpenOffice (Free).

Above is how you can restore WordPad on a Windows 11 PC or laptop running the latest 24H2 update. Since Microsoft won't be providing features or security updates for WordPad in the future, it's better to switch to a more secure alternative.

Final Thoughts

Use the instructions and checks above in order, verify the result after each major step, and keep a backup whenever the process changes important files or system settings.