Microsoft Paint and WordPad relegated to optional status

[HEXUS]

From Windows 10 20H1 Build 18963 onwards they will be optional apps in settings.

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[Friesiansam]

Oh dear, how sad...

Not used either for so many years, I'd forgotten they were there.

[azrael-]

I use Paint regularly. Wordpad not so much. Would be sad to see either go, though.

[philehidiot]

I use paint and notepad routinely. Wordpad is kind of in a no man's land in that I'll either want a full on word processor or a stripped down, simple notepad. That said, it is useful for people who don't have an office suite installed for whatever reason.

[MaddogPepper]

There are so many better and free alternatives, why do people struggle to let go and move on so much. The applications are well beyond their use by date.

[Dashers]

I use paint for basic clipboard and highlight/crop activity, but if it wasn't installed I wouldn't choose to install it almost definitely find something else, such as Paint.NET.

[Dashers]

As for Wordpad, used to use it as it could handle Unix line endings. But Notepad2 is a better drop in replacement if you're not going all the way to Notepad++

[philehidiot]

There are so many better and free alternatives, why do people struggle to let go and move on so much. The applications are well beyond their use by date.

They're simple, they work and they are there. Is there any advantage on hunting out a "better" program when what you have works just fine and you only use it for the very basic things? If I want something advanced, I use GIMP. If I want something basic as a scratch pad, I use paint. It just works and there is a simplicity that makes things efficient. Add features and you add complexity which is the opposite of what you want when you are using anything like paint.

[shaithis]

Crazy when they are one of the last things in the current windows builds that I would have made optional.....

[lodore]

The programs are so small it doesn't even seem worth doing. I can't imagine wordpad or paint reducing attack surface either so once again seems pointless.

[Rubarb]

The programs are so small it doesn't even seem worth doing. I can't imagine wordpad or paint reducing attack surface either so once again seems pointless.

....gives them an excuse to add more BLOATWARE to windwoes 10

[LeetyMcLeet]

I still use Paint every now and then. Amazingly, despite all the great imaging applications out there, sometimes it's just easier. Paint and Paint.Net are all I ever need.

Haven't used WordPad in over 10 years... or maybe more

[lodore]

....gives them an excuse to add more BLOATWARE to windwoes 10

Maybe not. The last windows 10 release allowed more store apps to be removed due to customer feedback. I am thinking this could be a continuation to that.

I have always found wordpad rather pointless.
I normally use notepadd ++ instead of notepad.

[Saracen999]

Crazy when they are one of the last things in the current windows builds that I would have made optional.....

They'd be close to the top of my list, if I still used Windows (other than old versions). It's a pretty long list, though.

I've long been of the view that an OS should be an OS not a large collection of often 3rd-rate tools, and that as such they should be install-on-demand, not by default. Or, at an absolute minimum, something that you can opt to uncheck, deselect, during install.

Personally, I've never needed Paint. Only ever used it by spending about 5 minutes playing, many many years ago. Used Wordpad maybe half a dozen times, and could easily have used something else. I juat don't have a need for either.

That said, I no longer need Win10 either, so what do I care.

Good step, though, making them optional.

[Corky34]

The applications are well beyond their use by date.

I should just climb in the ground right now then, I'm well past my use by date.

[FRISH]

I share a similar sentiment as mentioned. I use notepad for simple notes or documents, while wordpad doesn't get any use from me since if I want a more featured word processor, I'll use libre office. Paint gets used for basic stuff like a temporary clipboard, for anything a little more advanced, or even saving images since paint is crap, I'll use paint.NET, and for even more advanced stuff I've got affinity photo and designer, but tbh I haven't had the need for a while. Still, I'd prefer them to be on by default since they don't take up much space. I find stuff like onedrive of cortana on by default to be more intrusive.