Microsoft is testing ads in WordPad on Windows 10

Microsoft cannot stop inserting ads into Windows 10. The latest test ad appears in WordPad. There is a banner that invites you to use Office web apps instead of the bundled WordPad application.

Rafael Rivera discovered the ads and revealed them on Twitter. There are several variations, but all invite you to try Word, Excel or PowerPoint online. Having an 'Open Word' or 'Open Office' button will open Microsoft Office web applications in the browser.

Although the ads in WordPad do not feel great, they are not completely worthless. Microsoft Office Office web apps are free, you only need to sign in with your Microsoft account and some users of WordPad trial may be happier with the Microsoft Word web application instead. They are a potential replacement for Google Docs.

But regardless of the reason, this ad still makes users feel lost. Perhaps this ad would be less annoying, if Microsoft didn't spend years pushing Candy Crush and Solitaire based on registration for Windows 10 users.

These ads are not really part of the stable version of Windows 10. They appear in some Insider Preview builds of Windows 10 and are not enabled by default for most Insiders users.

However, Microsoft is clearly testing ads in WordPad, the same way the company has tested ads in the Windows 10 Mail app before.