With the release of Windows 11 24H2, it is time to pay our respects to the features and functions removed from Microsoft's flagship operating system.
The most notable departure is that of WordPad, which was deprecated in 2023 and, according to Microsoft, "is removed from all editions of Windows starting in Windows 11, version 24H2 and Windows Server 2025."
For rich text documents, Microsoft recommends using Word, which requires a license fee. Alternatively, the company suggests Windows Notepad for plain text documents.
WordPad occupied a strange middle ground in the world of Windows. It turned up in 1995, alongside Windows 95, and was pitched as a more advanced version of Notepad but not quite a fully featured word processor. While Notepad has received many modifications – it even got a spelling checker earlier this year – WordPad languished until Microsoft confirmed that the app was being removed last year and stripped the code with the most recent release.
Microsoft has also dropped support for some of its more hyped technology. Windows Mixed Reality is gone from Windows 11 24H2, as promised in the deprecated features list. Its disappearance coincides with Microsoft throwing in the towel on the augmented reality headset, HoloLens.
Users with a Mixed Reality headset are therefore advised to stick with Windows 11 23H2 for now, especially if they wish to use Valve's gaming service, Steam. At the time of deprecation, Microsoft said:
"After November 2026, Windows Mixed Reality will no longer receive security updates, nonsecurity updates, bug fixes, technical support, or online technical content updates."
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Windows 11 23H2 drops out of support for Home and Pro users a year earlier, on November 11, 2025.
And then there were the optimistic days when Microsoft was determined not to miss the IoT train.
The Windows giant signed up to AllJoyn, a framework to allow connected devices to find each other and communicate regardless of platform or brand. The technology was included in Windows 10 and has now been jettisoned from Windows 11, starting with 24H2.
AllJoyn was initially promoted by the AllSeen Alliance until the group merged with the Open Connectivity Foundation in 2016. The AllJoyn Open Source Project appeared on GitHub in 2018 but has gathered dust ever since.
Recognizing that this part of the connected devices dream has not progressed as hoped in its early days, Microsoft finally removed support from Windows 11.
The victims of Windows 11 24H2 highlight the fact that once something joins the Deprecated Features list, its days truly are numbered. VBScript, your time is coming. ®