RTF File Format (.rtf)

An RTF file encodes styled text as plain ASCII, using backslash control words like \b and \par instead of binary formatting codes, a design Microsoft published in 1987 specifically so word processors that agreed on nothing else could still exchange formatted documents.

.rtfDocuments

RTF at a glance#

Full name	Rich Text Format
File extension	.rtf
Category	Documents
Developer	Microsoft
First released	1987
MIME types	application/rtftext/rtf
Compression	Uncompressed
Specification	Rich Text Format (RTF) Specification, version 1.5
FileFlip support	FileFlip reads and writes this format

What a .rtf file can hold#

These are the things a RTF file either supports or does not, and they are what decides whether a conversion keeps everything or quietly drops something.

Embedded metadata	Yes
Selectable text	Yes
Encryption	No
Human readable	No
Comments	No

Strengths and limitations of RTF#

What RTF does well

Plain ASCII underneath the markup, so it survives old email systems and platforms that mangle binary attachments
Readable by essentially every word processor released in the last three decades, including ones that agree on nothing else
No ZIP structure or external parts, so a single RTF file is genuinely self-contained

Where RTF falls short

Microsoft stopped updating the specification after version 1.9.1 in 2008, so it can't carry any word processing feature invented since
Encodes images and embedded objects as hexadecimal text, which roughly doubles their size compared to storing the raw bytes
Produces much larger files than a zipped format like DOCX or ODT for the same content
Windows removed WordPad, its longtime built-in RTF editor, starting with Windows 11 version 24H2

Use RTF to move styled text between word processors from different vendors or eras that don't reliably agree on any other format.

Convert RTF to DOCX or ODT once the document has landed somewhere permanent, since both produce far smaller files and support formatting features RTF was never updated to include.

How to open a .rtf file#

A .rtf file opens in the programs below, grouped by the platform you are on. If you would rather not install anything, FileFlip converts RTF into a format your machine already opens, and it does it in the browser tab rather than on a server.

Platform	Programs that open it
Windows	Microsoft Word, LibreOffice Writer
macOS	TextEdit, Microsoft Word, Apple Pages
Linux	LibreOffice Writer, AbiWord
Web	FileFlip, Google Docs

RTF questions people ask#

Does Windows still have a built-in program that opens RTF files?

Not since Windows 11, version 24H2: Microsoft removed WordPad, the built-in RTF editor, after announcing its deprecation in 2023. Microsoft Word and LibreOffice Writer still open RTF files on Windows, and Notepad opens one too, but only as raw text with the control words visible rather than rendered formatting.

Why are RTF files so much larger than DOCX files with the same text?

RTF applies no compression at all, while DOCX is a ZIP archive that compresses its XML. RTF also stores embedded images as hexadecimal text rather than raw bytes, which roughly doubles their size again, so a document with pictures grows especially large as an RTF file.

Can I open an RTF file in a plain text editor?

Yes, an RTF file is plain ASCII, so any text editor opens it without error. What you'll see, though, is the raw backslash control words like \b and \fs24 mixed in with the text rather than bold text or a font size, since RTF was designed to be parsed by an application, not read directly by a person.

What's the difference between RTF and DOCX?

RTF is a flat, uncompressed text format Microsoft introduced in 1987 and stopped updating in 2008. DOCX is a ZIP archive of XML introduced with Word 2007, is substantially smaller for the same content, and supports every Word feature added since RTF was frozen.

Converting RTF files#

Every conversion runs inside your browser. The file is read from your disk, the work happens on your own machine, and nothing is uploaded. How FileFlip works names the engine behind each family and how to verify that for yourself.