RTF file format: what it is and how to use it

Rich Text Format is Microsoft's 1987 cross-platform document exchange: styled text readable by every word processor ever made. Learn when to use it and what to choose instead.

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What is a RTF file?

An .rtf file is a document in Rich Text Format, Microsoft's 1987 interchange format: text with fonts, styles, tables and images encoded as ASCII control words, readable by literally every word processor ever shipped. Frozen in spec since 2008, it is the cockroach of document formats: primitive, universal and impossible to kill.

When should you use RTF?

  • Maximum document compatibility: the format that opens in WordPad, Word, LibreOffice, TextEdit and everything in between.
  • Email-era exchange: styled text older systems and mail clients still trust.
  • Simple cross-tool documents: when .docx is overkill and .txt is too poor.

When is another format a better fit?

For real editing workflows use DOCX or ODT for modern features, tracked changes and real structure. For final delivery PDF; for raw text TXT. RTF is a compatibility format, not a working one.

The short version: RTF is the universal styled-text fallback: the document every tool reads and nobody chooses first.

How to open a RTF file

On Windows

Double-click the file, or open it with Microsoft Word.

On macOS

Apple TextEdit opens RTF files on macOS.

In your browser

Open RTF files right in a browser tab or with the dexrr viewer. No install, no upload.

Also opens in

  • Microsoft Word
  • WordPad
  • LibreOffice Writer
  • Apple TextEdit

View or convert RTF files

A quick preview or a new format. No install, no upload.

View RTF files Preview and inspect RTF files Convert to RTF Turn files into RTF RTF to DOCX Office Open XML document RTF to ODT OpenDocument Text RTF to TXT Plain text

RTF technical details

Full name
Rich Text Format
Extensions
.rtf
MIME type
application/rtf, text/rtf
Magic bytes
7B 5C 72 74 66 ({\rtf)
Compression
None (uncompressed)
Developer
Microsoft
Specification
learn.microsoft.com

RTF questions, answered

How do I open an .rtf file?

Everything opens it: WordPad, Word, LibreOffice, Google Docs, TextEdit. dexrr displays and converts rtf files directly in your browser.

Can I convert RTF files online?

Yes, dexrr converts rtf locally in your browser: RTF to DOCX for modern editing, RTF to PDF for sharing or RTF to TXT for plain text.

Is RTF better than DOCX?

For compatibility with ancient tools it still wins; for everything else DOCX: more features, smaller files, the actual standard of today.

Can RTF files contain viruses?

They can embed objects and exploit old parser bugs, which is the reason some mail systems flag them. Treat unexpected .rtf attachments with care.

Is the RTF format outdated?

Frozen since 2008 and still useful: a legacy compatibility format that persists because nothing else opens quite so universally.