SOLVED Wordpad and rtf files

[oldgaz]

I was teaching a lady who has a fairly new Win10 laptop at version1703, The only wordprocessors installed are what it came with - Wordpad and the "trial" version of MS Office. We wrote a text file with Wordpad and saved it as a .rtf file. When we d/clicked on the file in Documents to open it, it opened with Word. If we R/clicked on the file and selected "Open With", only Word was offered in the context menu. I went to the Default associations page and tried to change the default program for .rtf to Wordpad but it was not offered as a choice - I could only use Word or search in store for an alternative program. This doesn't happen (and has never happened in any previous Windows release) in my version of Windows10, 1703? Is it possible to remedy this?

 

[davehc]

What you did should have worked ok.
However. Open "Settings" - Apps and Features - and, on the left, "Default Apps.
Scroll right down, and you will see some options in a lighter type.
Choose. "Choose default applications by File type"
Scroll down to RTF and make sure it is associated with Wordpad.

 

[oldgaz]

Thanks, davehc. Did you actually try to do what you suggested? If I do that, Wordpad is NOT offered as an alternative program. See the following pic from my laptop (not the PC that I encountered the problem in, but it exhibits the same problem).

However, I tried to change the default by resorting to the "old" method using the (now hidden in version 1703) "Control panel". In this, when you highlight .rtf and select "Change Program", again Wordpad is not in the list. But at the end of the list there is a further option through "More Apps". I found Wordpad listed along with all of the programs offered there and was able to change the default for .rtf to Wordpad.
I will click "Solved" but I feel that it is a problem in Win10 version 1703?

 

[davehc]

Sorry for that, oldgaz. There is another thread mentioniong that this does not work. See:

https://www.windows10forums.com/threads/article-updates.15090/#post-74560

As I said there. No real explanation. Maybe originally I used the method that you discovered. Apparently, once you have it as your rtf default, it doesn't get lost with subsequent upgrades.
Anyway, congrats on your detective work!

 

[oldgaz]

Thanks davehc. As my user name implies I have been using Windows since it replaced DOS and have been a long time advocate of Wordpad. It is an ideal program for basic users who have no need of the complexities that Word has developed. MS have been very cunning in not allowing Wordpad to read .doc files and so force many unknowing users into purchasing the MS Office suite. As far back as Win2000 Wordpad did support "Word for Windows" but since then the policy has been to keep it "crippled". The "newer" .docx format is supported by Wordpad in a limited way and this is indicated with a warning when that type of file is opened. In hindsight, I should have found the solution earlier as I am still in the habit of using many of the "old" Windows procedures and I had visited the Control Panel - I just had not investigated the "More Apps" path. Of course I should have known that Wordpad is now an "App" and not a "Program"! My bad. Thanks again for your input.

 

[davehc]

I guess you have installed the "Fall" release? Unfortunately, many items in the Control Panel, in particular the Default section, now merely take you back to the Windows 10 "Settings". I guess we will have to live with that.
As I said in another post, both my wife and I use Wordpad for expedition. I do have Office installed, but, I am afraid to say I mainly use it for the Email (Outlook). Like your self, I find Wordpad is totally adequate for my normal correspondence.

By the way. Have a look at my age. I also go back, actually further than DOS -Lol

 

[Norton]

BTW If you open Choose Apps by File Type click on .rtf > choose an app > Look for an app in the Store, WordPad Text editor is in the MS Store. Personally I haven't tried it. I'm happy with saving WordPad documents in the Word.rtf format.

I decided to check out my Win 7 machine, it too saves WordPad docs as Word documet.rtf