Microsoft Write

Microsoft Write

Windows Write running on Windows NT 3.51
Developer(s)	Microsoft
Operating system	Microsoft Windows
Successor	WordPad
Type	Word processor

Microsoft Write is a basic word processor included with Windows 1.0 and later, until Windows NT 3.51. Throughout its lifespan it was minimally updated, and is comparable to early versions of MacWrite. Early versions of Write only work with Write Document (.wri) files, which are a subset of the Rich Text Format (RTF). After Windows 3.0, Write became capable of reading and composing early Word Document (.doc) files. With Windows 3.1, Write became OLE capable. In Windows 95, Write was replaced with WordPad; attempting to open Write from the Windows folder will open WordPad instead.

Being a word processor, Write features additional document formatting features that are not found in

Platforms

Microsoft Windows

In 1985, Windows 1.0 was released with Microsoft Write. This version is a basic word processor, intended to be more complex than Notepad. It is very similar to the Macintosh version, and has all of the same features. It saves to Write Document (.wri) format, which is a subset of today's Rich Text Format (RTF). Later versions can save to the Word Document (.doc) format. Starting with Windows 95, WordPad replaces Microsoft Write. Because the Write Document format is a subset of RTF, WordPad can read them but cannot write them.

The executable for Microsoft Write still remains in Windows, however it is simply a compatibility stub that launches WordPad.

Atari ST

In 1986, Atari announced an agreement with Microsoft to bring Microsoft Write to the Atari ST.^[1]

Unlike the Windows version, Microsoft Write for the Atari ST is the Atari version of

Microsoft Write for the Atari ST retailed at $129.95 and is one of two high-profile PC word processors that were released on the Atari platform. The other application is WordPerfect.

Macintosh

In October 1987, Microsoft released Microsoft Write for Macintosh. Write is a version of Microsoft Word with limited features that Microsoft hoped would replace aging