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WordStar

The word processor that made business writing on PCs possible — a landmark left behind by the PC era

Defunct — WordStar, created by MicroPro International in 1978, was one of the first and most influential word processors for personal computers. It was overtaken by competitors in the 1980s and eventually discontinued, though it remains a landmark of the early PC business-software era.

WordStar was developed by MicroPro International, founded by Seymour Rubinstein, and released in 1978. Running initially on CP/M and later on DOS, it was one of the first word processors that could turn a personal computer into a serious writing tool. Its keyboard-driven commands were designed to let fast typists work without reaching for a mouse.

WordStar became hugely popular in the early 1980s and was widely seen as the professional word processor of its day, especially for book publishing and technical writing. It helped establish that word processing software could be the reason businesses bought a personal computer.

As Windows and graphics-based word processors like Microsoft Word and WordPerfect rose in the 1980s, WordStar's command-line style fell out of favor. MicroPro struggled, and WordStar was eventually discontinued, surviving today as a piece of early PC history.

Quick facts

Launched

1978, by MicroPro International

Creator

Seymour Rubinstein

Platforms

CP/M and DOS

Peak

Leading PC word processor of early 1980s

Overtaken by

WordPerfect and Microsoft Word

Now

Discontinued, a historical landmark

Sources

1. WordStar - Wikipedia — Wikipedia (2026-09-05)
2. Classic word processor WordStar gets a new "plug-and-play" release — TechSpot (2026-09-05)

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