Legacy Windows Apps WordPad, Character map, Fax and Scan, XPS Viewer Available for Windows 10

Microsoft is pushing the universal apps big time for Windows 10, but they aren’t also leaving behind the legacy apps which still many people use for their small tasks. Classic example is WordPad which still comes in handy when you want something simpler. The company has now rolled out Legacy Windows Apps WordPad, Character map, Fax and Scan, XPS Viewer in the Windows 10 Store.

It’s obvious that Microsoft developers have used the Desktop App Converter (Project Centennial) to bring those classic Windows Apps to the Store and made it available to millions of users. The project adds some basic ability of universal apps to these classic apps using wrapper aka sandboxed versions. No changes had been made to the classic app code base.

Doing this, the company is also setting example before other developers, so they can get their WIN32 aka .EXE programs and software to the Windows store, and make distributions, and updates rather simpler. Its going to take time, but we should eventually see this happening. The apps are available only for Insiders now, which are running the Anniversary Update in the preview mode. Rest of the consumers will see it in the store, and install it once the update becomes available out to all this summer.