WordPad Download: There Is Nothing to Download
Looking for a WordPad download? There is no safe one to get. Install WordPad.me as an app from your browser instead, on your desktop, taskbar or home screen.
No .exe, no installer, no account. Your browser adds WordPad.me to your computer or phone as an app: it gets its own window and icon, opens from the Start menu, Dock or home screen, and keeps working without an internet connection.
How to install it
Chrome or Edge on a computer
- Open the editor.
- Chrome: click the install icon at the right end of the address bar, or open the ⋮ menu → Cast, save, and share → Install page as app…
- Edge: click the App available icon in the address bar, or open the … menu → More tools → Apps → Install this site as an app.
- Confirm. On Windows you can then right-click its taskbar icon and choose Pin to taskbar.
Safari on a Mac
- Open the editor in Safari on macOS Sonoma or later.
- Choose File → Add to Dock… and click Add.
iPhone and iPad
- Open the editor in Safari.
- Tap Share (on iOS 26, tap … next to the address bar, then Share), then Add to Home Screen. Keep Open as Web App on and tap Add.
Android
- Open the editor in Chrome.
- Tap the ⋮ menu → Install and create shortcut (on older versions, Add to Home screen or Install app) → Install.
Firefox
Firefox 143 or later on Windows installs it too: click the web apps button in the address bar. Firefox on a Mac or Linux does not install sites as apps — bookmark the editor or pin its tab (right-click the tab → Pin Tab), or install it from Chrome or Edge with the steps above. Firefox on Android installs it from the ⋮ menu → Add to Home screen.
Why there is no WordPad download
WordPad came with Windows and was never sold or offered on its own. Since Microsoft removed it in Windows 11 version 24H2 (what changed), there is no download from Microsoft either. The wordpad.exe files and “WordPad installers” on download sites were packaged by someone else, and running a program from an unknown source puts your computer at risk.
WordPad.me takes a different route: the whole editor is a web page your browser keeps. Installing it adds a window and an icon, not a program with access to the rest of your system, and removing it takes a moment.
What you get
- A WordPad-style ribbon with fonts, sizes, colors, alignment, spacing, bullets and numbered lists.
- Opening and saving Rich Text (.rtf) and Word (.docx) files, plus .txt and .html; PDF and printing.
- Offline use after the first visit. Updates arrive by themselves the next time you are connected.
- No sign-up and no uploads: documents are opened and saved on your device.
Questions about installing
How do I install WordPad?
WordPad itself can no longer be installed on current Windows 11, and Microsoft offers no download. To get the same kind of editor, install WordPad.me from your browser: in Chrome or Edge use the install icon in the address bar, on a Mac in Safari choose File → Add to Dock, on an iPhone choose Share → Add to Home Screen, and in Chrome on Android choose Install and create shortcut.
Is there a free version of WordPad?
WordPad was always free with Windows, and it normally still is on Windows 10 and on Windows 11 up to version 23H2, unless it was removed as an optional feature. On newer systems, WordPad.me is a free WordPad-style editor that opens and saves RTF and DOCX files, with no account and nothing to pay.
Is it safe to download wordpad.exe from other sites?
It is a risk. Microsoft does not publish WordPad as a separate download, so any wordpad.exe on a download site was repackaged by someone else, and programs from unknown sources can carry malware. Installing from your browser runs nothing on your computer outside the browser.
Does the installed app work offline?
Yes. After the first visit the editor is stored by your browser, so it opens and saves files without a connection. When you are connected it checks for a newer version by itself; there is nothing to update by hand.
How do I uninstall it?
In Chrome, open the app, click ⋮ in its title bar and choose Uninstall; in Edge, go to edge://apps and choose Details → Uninstall. On a Mac, drag WordPad.me from the Applications folder in your home folder to the Trash. On a phone, touch and hold its icon and choose Uninstall (Android) or Delete (iPhone and iPad). Your documents saved as files are not touched.