Running WordPad in your browser — with your own copy Partial — basic RTF editing works, .doc garbled
Guide updated July 2026 · Runs via Wine 1.7.55 (Win32) + WebAssembly · Requires your own copy
The classic Microsoft WordPad — the rich-text editor that sat between Notepad and Word on every Windows PC from Windows 95 onward — can run in a browser tab via Wine + WebAssembly, provided you load your own copy: it is not free to redistribute, so we don't host it. WordPad is a lightweight Win32 app, so the basics behave: typing, fonts, bold/italic, bullets, and saving .rtf files all work. Bring your own wordpad.exe from a Windows PC you own and load it above — and note that Microsoft removed WordPad from Windows 11 24H2, so if you want something free and built-in, jump straight to AbiWord.
Runs in your browser tab with WebAssembly + Wine — nothing is uploaded. Click the screen to capture input; press Esc to release the mouse.
wordpad.exe (and write.exe) from a Windows PC you own and load that copy with the button above. Microsoft removed WordPad from Windows 11 version 24H2 (October 2024), so newer machines may not have it at all. If you just want a free rich-text editor with nothing to copy, use the open-source AbiWord instead.
How it works & what to expect
ExeBrowser boots Wine 1.7.55 on a 32-bit x86 emulator compiled to WebAssembly, then runs the actual wordpad.exe binary you load — no re-implementation, no upload to a server. WordPad is tiny and makes no use of DirectX, .NET, or 64-bit code, so it starts quickly and the editing surface is responsive.
What works: typing, font and size selection, bold/italic/underline, text color, bullet and number lists, paragraph alignment, and opening and saving .rtf and .txt files. That covers what most people actually use WordPad for.
What's rough: Wine's rich-text engine isn't pixel-perfect. Saving to .doc usually falls back to RTF, and opening old .doc or legacy Write .wri files often shows garbled characters with no formatting. Treat this as a capable plain-and-rich-text scratchpad, not a Word replacement.
Bring your own copy (and which file to load)
WordPad isn't a free download, so there's no honest one-click version to host. To run the genuine article, copy it off a Windows PC you own:
- Windows 10 / older Windows 11: grab
C:\Program Files\Windows NT\Accessories\wordpad.exe. Thewrite.exelauncher inC:\Windowsjust forwards to it, so copy both if you want either entry point. - Windows 11 24H2 or newer: WordPad was removed entirely, so copy it from an older machine or a backup — there is no legitimate place to download it.
Once you have the file, click Run WordPad above, choose Load your own copy, and select wordpad.exe. The player uses it as the entry point automatically.
A free, no-copy-needed alternative
If the licensing dance is annoying — or your PC simply doesn't have WordPad anymore — the open-source AbiWord is a genuinely better fit for the browser. It's freely redistributable, reads and writes .rtf, .doc, and its own formats far more faithfully than Wine's RTF engine, and we can offer it as instant-play with nothing to copy. For plain text, Notepad or the cross-platform Notepad++ load instantly too.
Frequently asked questions
Can I run WordPad online for free with no download?
You can run it in your browser here with no install, but WordPad itself isn't a free download — it's proprietary Microsoft software bundled with Windows. You supply a wordpad.exe copied from a Windows PC you own and load it above. If you want something free with nothing to copy, use AbiWord instead.
Where can I download WordPad?
There's no legitimate standalone WordPad download — Microsoft only ever shipped it inside Windows, and it was removed from Windows 11 version 24H2 (October 2024). Sites offering a "WordPad installer" aren't official. Copy wordpad.exe from a Windows machine you already own, or pick a free editor like AbiWord.
Does WordPad open .doc files correctly in the browser?
Not reliably. Basic .rtf and .txt open and save fine, but Wine's rich-text engine often shows garbled characters with lost formatting for old .doc and legacy .wri files, and saving to .doc usually falls back to RTF. For real Word documents, AbiWord handles them far better.
Why was WordPad removed from Windows?
Microsoft deprecated WordPad in 2023 and removed it from all editions starting with Windows 11 version 24H2 to cut maintenance of legacy code that hadn't seen meaningful updates in years. It recommends Word for rich text and Notepad for plain text. That's exactly why running an old copy here, or switching to AbiWord, can be handy.
Will WordPad run fast in the browser?
Yes, comfortably. WordPad is a small Win32 app with no DirectX or 3D, so even at the 10–40% of native speed you get from x86-on-WebAssembly emulation, typing and formatting feel responsive on a modern laptop.
More you can run in your browser
- AbiWordFree, open-source word processor — the recommended WordPad alternative.
- NotepadThe classic plain-text editor in a browser tab.
- Notepad++Open-source code and text editor with tabs.
- WordPadYou're here — the classic Microsoft rich-text editor.
- GnumericFree spreadsheet app that runs cleanly in the browser.
- Compatibility guideWhat runs in ExeBrowser and what doesn't.