.rtf files
.rtf file
Rich Text Format
A formatted document format readable by every word processor since 1987.
What opens a .rtf file
- Windows
- Microsoft Word, LibreOffice Writer, Notepad (built in — shows raw markup)
- macOS
- TextEdit (built in), Pages (built in), Microsoft Word
- Linux
- LibreOffice Writer, AbiWord, Text Editor (built in — shows raw markup)
- In a browser
- Google Docs
What a .rtf file is
Microsoft designed RTF as a plain-text interchange format that still carries bold, fonts, tables and images through markup. It is the lowest common denominator between word processors and is what many billing and legal systems export. Note that Windows no longer ships WordPad — it was removed in the Windows 11 2024 update — so on a bare Windows install you now need Word, LibreOffice or a browser-based editor.
Converting it
A .rtf file is commonly converted to .docx, .pdf, .odt, .txt or .html. It is a plain text format, so any text editor can open and edit it directly.
Details
- Extension
- .rtf
- Full name
- Rich Text Format
- Category
- Documents
- MIME type
- application/rtf
- Created by
- Microsoft
- Format
- Plain text
Common questions
- How do I open a .rtf file?
- On Windows use Microsoft Word; on macOS use TextEdit (built in); on Linux use LibreOffice Writer. A formatted document format readable by every word processor since 1987.
- What is a .rtf file?
- Rich Text Format. Microsoft designed RTF as a plain-text interchange format that still carries bold, fonts, tables and images through markup. It is the lowest common denominator between word processors and is what many billing and legal systems export.
- Can I convert a .rtf file?
- Yes. It is usually converted to .docx, .pdf, .odt, .txt or .html, either by exporting from one of the programs listed above or with a format converter.
Related pages
- .pdf — Portable Document Format A fixed-layout document that looks identical everywhere — the format for anythin
- .docx — Word Document (Open XML) The standard Word document since Office 2007 — a zip archive of XML underneath.
- .xlsx — Excel Workbook (Open XML) The standard Excel spreadsheet since 2007, with a million-row limit per sheet.
- .pptx — PowerPoint Presentation (Open XML) The standard PowerPoint deck since 2007.
- .txt — Plain Text File Text with no formatting at all — the format that will still open in fifty years.
- .doc — Word Document (legacy binary) The pre-2007 Word format — still readable, but Microsoft would rather you conver
- .xls — Excel Workbook (legacy binary) The pre-2007 Excel format, limited to 65,536 rows.
- .ppt — PowerPoint Presentation (legacy binary) The pre-2007 PowerPoint format.
- .md — Markdown Document Plain text with a light formatting convention — headings with #, bold with **.
- .pages — Apple Pages Document Apple's word processor format — Apple devices and iCloud only.
- .odt — OpenDocument Text The open-standard word processor format, native to LibreOffice.
- .eml — Email Message A single saved email, headers and all, in the standard internet message format.
Sources
- Media Types Registry — IANA
- Official vendor product documentation — At One Place