WordPad

At the end of the lesson,

I can identify the parts of the WordPad
window.
I can describe the function of the parts of the
WordPad environment.
WordPad is a word processor application.
It is made by Microsoft. It has simple
formatting functions. The software comes
free with Microsoft Windows operating
systems. WordPad is similar to Notepad
but lets the user format text, something
users cannot do in Notepad.
However, WordPad is very basic compared to
normal word processors like Microsoft Word
or Open Office Writer. WordPad saves
documents in Rich Text Format, unlike
Notepad's use of simple text files, allowing
users to change the alignment and color of
the font, and add things like bullets and font
effects.
When you open WordPad, regardless of
whether you are using Windows 10, Windows
7 or Windows 8.1, its window should look like
the screenshot below. The WordPad window
is identical in Windows 10 and Windows 8.1,
and almost identical to the one in Windows 7,
except for a few minor visual differences.
 
 Function of WordPad
WordPad is a Microsoft Windows program that you can use to
create documents such as letters, notes and posters. It's less
complicated than a full word processor but still lets you perform a
range of tasks:
1. Create, open, and save documents
2. Format documents – that is, change the size and style of print,
the look of a page, etc.
3. Insert dates, pictures and hyperlinks
4. View a document
5. Change page margins
6. Print documents
As you can see, the WordPad window
includes the same ribbon menu that is found
in similar word processing programs, such as
the Word app from Microsoft Office. The
ribbon menu from WordPad is split into well-
defined areas:
 
The main menu, which is named File
in Windows 10 and 8.1, offers basic
options like creating a new document,
opening an existing document,
saving, printing and customizing page
dimensions.
The first tab is named Home and
includes customization options
that are grouped according to
their purposes, and are related to
the use of the Clipboard, Font,
Paragraph, Insert, and Editing.
The second tab from the
ribbon menu in WordPad is
called View and offers a series
of options for the elements
displayed in the WordPad
window.
 

How to create a new

WordPad document?
If you want to create a new
document, open WordPad, click
or tap anywhere on the white
space inside, and write the text
you wish.
If you want to format the text you have typed,
use the options found in the Font and
Paragraph areas from the ribbon menu. Then,
when you are done, to save your document,
go to the File menu and choose Save as.
There are five options available for saving
documents:
The first tab is named Home and
includes customization options that
are grouped according to their
purposes, and are related to the use
of the Clipboard, Font, Paragraph,
Insert, Editing.
The second tab from the ribbon menu
in WordPad is called View and offers
a series of options for the elements
displayed in the WordPad window.
Rich text document: saves your document in the Rich Text Format, with
the extension .RTF

Office Open XML document: saves the document in the Office Open
XML format, using the .DOCX extension

OpenDocument text: saves the document as an Open Office document,

using the extension .ODT

Plain text document: saves the document as a simple text file, with
the .TXT extension

Other formats: lets you save the document as other types of text files.
 

How to edit an
existing WordPad
document?
If you want to edit a document WordPad,
you have to make use of the two tabs from
its user interface: Home and View. The
first tab, the one named Home, includes
customization options that are grouped
according to their purposes, and are
related to the use of the:
Clipboard: includes a set of
buttons which allow you to Copy,
Paste or Cut items in your
document. Of course, you can
also use the keyboard shortcuts
to perform the same actions.
Font and Paragraph: probably the most
critical sections of the Home tab, these two
sections offer you the opportunity to change
things like the text spacing used, the
alignment, the font, size or color. All you have
to do is select the text you want to customize,
and then select the formatting options you
want to apply, from the Font and Paragraph
areas.
Insert: is the place where you
can find options for inserting
pictures, custom drawings, date
and time or others objects such
as, for example, charts or
different documents.
Editing: is the last section
of the Home tab and offers
options like Find, Replace
or Select all.
As you have seen, the WordPad
application included in Windows can
successfully replace Microsoft Word
for the casual user, providing all the
essential tools for editing and viewing
documents.