Windows is about to axe these three iconic apps

By Judy Sanhz Published May 24, 2024

A top-down view of the Surface Laptop Go. — Arif Bacchus / Digital Trends

Microsoft’s upcoming Windows 11 24H2 update will include many new features, including a controversial new app. But PCWorld reports that the following major Windows 11 24H2 updates will also remove three iconic apps you may currently use: WordPad, Cortana, and Tips.

Although each of these are being discontinued, there are some specific details for how Microsoft is rolling out the changes. This change affects Cortana in Windows as a standalone app, but it will remain within other applications, such as Microsoft Teams Display, Outlook Mobile, Teams Mobile, and Microsoft Teams Rooms. Of course, Microsoft’s push into AI with a full-screen version of Copilot will take the place of Cortana. This update to Copilot treats it more as a proper app, not unlike the ChatGPT Mac app that was recently announced.

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Meanwhile, the content in the Tips app will continue to update with information concerning new Windows features until Microsoft removes it.

When it comes to WordPad, however, it will no longer receive updates and will eventually be removed. Microsoft points users to Microsoft Word and Windows Editor to handle these types of documents.

Still, so far, Microsoft has not given an exact date when users might expect the app to disappear from their computers when Windows Server 2025 and Windows 11 version 24H2 reach their computers.

Even though these apps might not be used by many, it’s still sad to see them go. That’s especially true for WordPad, especially since it’s been around since Windows 95.

The long list of apps that will be removed affects administrators, professional Windows users, and private users alike. For example, VBScript is among the most iconic programming apps on the list. Later, it will be part of an on-demand feature with the Windows 11 24H2 update and enabled by default. Microsoft will also remove this app in the future. Microsoft encourages users to use options such as PowerShell and JavaScript, which it affirms are more in character with modern web development.

The upcoming update will bring many changes and hardware requirements centered around SSE4.2 or Streaming SIMD Extensions 4.2. The Windows 11 24H2 update will also bring support for Wi-Fi 7, which is the latest evolution in the 802.11 IEEE standard wireless networking.

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Computing Writer

Judy Sanhz is a Digital Trends computing writer covering all computing news. Loves all operating systems and devices.

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