WordPad is a free and simple word processing application that was introduced in Windows 95 and is still around in Windows 10. It is not as simple as Notepad nor advanced as Microsoft Word, and it is somewhat limited.[1] [2] This wikiHow will show you all the methods of opening WordPad on Windows 10 devices.

Things You Should Know

  • WordPad is an alternative program to Notepad and Microsoft Word.
  • WordPad can easily and quickly be opened with Windows Search.
  • You can use a variety of methods to open WordPad in Windows 10.
Method 1
Method 1 of 6:

Using Windows Search

This is the quickest method.

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  2. 2
    Type wordpad.
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  3. 3
    Hit the Enter key or select the matching result.
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Method 2
Method 2 of 6:

Accessing through "All Apps" List in the Start Menu

The Start menu contains a list of all software installed on your PC. WordPad is hidden under the "Windows Accessories" folder of the list.

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  2. 2
    Open the All apps list from the left of the Start menu. You can also scroll if you've configured it to show on the tiles page.
  3. 3
    Click the "Windows Accessories" folder.
  4. 4
    Choose "WordPad".
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Method 3
Method 3 of 6:

Running through the Dialog Window

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    Press the Win+R keyboard keys at the same time.
  2. 2
    Type write, wordpad, or %SystemDrive%/Program Files/Windows NT/Accessories/WordPad.exe.
  3. 3
    Hit the Enter key or click OK.
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Method 4
Method 4 of 6:

Searching with File Explorer

This is the built-in file management app that also stores system files, including WordPad.

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  2. 2
    Type %SystemDrive%/Program Files/Windows NT/Accessories. Hit Enter or click the right arrow .
    • You can also manually navigate to the folder, replacing "%SystemDrive%" with your drive letter (usually C:).
  3. 3
    Open the "wordpad" executable file. It might have ".exe" at the end of the name depending on your file viewing settings.
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Method 5
Method 5 of 6:

Using the Command Prompt

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    Type write or wordpad.exe.
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    Hit Enter.
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Method 6
Method 6 of 6:

Opening with Windows PowerShell

WordPad can be opened through PowerShell, which is an alternative to Command Prompt.[4]

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    Select "Windows PowerShell". Ignore any advanced results that may appear (such as "PowerShell ISE" and "PowerShell (x86)").[5]
  3. 3
    Wait until you see the Microsoft copyright info at the top. Depending on your computer, there might be a delay of up to 5 seconds until this appears.
  4. 4
    Type write.exe.
  5. 5
    Hit Enter.
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Community Q&A

  • Question
    How do I change the margins in WordPad for Windows 10?
    Community Answer
    Community Answer
    Clicking Page Setup from the File tab will open the Page Setup dialog. In the bottom-right corner of the dialog, you will see the margin settings in millimeters. Simply adjust these values, then click OK.
  • Question
    When I save something in WordPad on Windows 10, it won't reopen in WordPad?
    Top Source
    Top Source
    Community Answer
    After creating your file, take care save your file with .doc so it will open always.
  • Question
    I recently installed Windows 10 and have had problems ever since with words that have double letters when using either Notepad or Wordpad. Example installed, it will; only puts one "l" in the word.
    Sajeel Rajput
    Sajeel Rajput
    Community Answer
    It may be a keyboard fault. If so, the best way to resolve this error reinstall Notepad in Windows 10.
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Things You'll Need

  • Device running Windows 10

About This Article

wikiHow is a “wiki,” similar to Wikipedia, which means that many of our articles are co-written by multiple authors. To create this article, 14 people, some anonymous, worked to edit and improve it over time. This article has been viewed 81,351 times.
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Co-authors: 14
Updated: October 25, 2022
Views: 81,351
Categories: Windows 10 | Office
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