What is a RTF file?
RTF — Rich Text Format
Use the format RTF
A concrete example
You have a letter in RTF format: convert it to DOCX to continue working on it, or to PDF to send a reading version.
What does the conversion change?
DOCX facilitates continued work. PDF prepares sharing. Advanced word processing features should not be assumed to be present in an RTF.
Useful checks
Check accented characters, indents, tables, and embedded images. Always keep the original RTF for comparison.
Choose a conversion
Keep the original and open the result in the software or on the device that will need to use it.
Your questions about this format
How to recognize a scanned PDF and use the OCR?
Open the PDF and try to select then copy a sentence in a text editor. If only an image is selected, the document may be a scan without recognized text. A PDF protection may also prevent copying. In ConvertLab, add the PDF, then choose "Text Recognition (OCR)" in "PDF Action" during the preparation step. This NoLimit option produces a PDF with a text layer. Download it, then, if you want a Word document, use this result for a conversion to DOCX. Proofread the names and numbers: a blurry scan can cause errors.
Will the layout be preserved in Word?
A PDF describes pages, while Word rearranges text and objects. Columns, complex tables, and fonts may therefore change. For a document to be edited, choose DOCX and plan for a review. To maintain a page appearance, choose a JPEG or PNG output; the text in these images will not be directly editable.
Why is my compressed PDF so large?
An already optimized file can decrease very little, or even increase. The NoLimit compression option does not promise a reduction percentage. Compare the sizes indicated after processing and keep the file that suits you best without overwriting your original.
How to convert a presentation into a Word document?
Add your PPTX and choose DOCX. The "Editable Text" mode makes it easier to reuse the content; the "Slides as Images" mode preserves a visual representation of the slides, but their text cannot be edited like a Word paragraph. Choose the mode before starting the conversion.
What is it?
RTF is a rich text format: it preserves bold, italics, fonts, colours and simple tables, while remaining far more basic than a DOCX.
Its distinctive trait is that it stays human-readable. Open an RTF in a plain text editor and you'll see your sentences wrapped in commands enclosed in braces. This transparency made it, for twenty years, the universal exchange format between incompatible word processors.
History & origin
Microsoft created RTF in 1987, at a time when every application had its own binary format and moving a document from one word processor to another was a genuine headache. RTF served as a common language.
Its last specification dates from 2008, and Microsoft has since retired it in favour of DOCX. Word still opens it, but the format no longer evolves: it's a veteran nearing the end of its career.
Why it is useful
Its compatibility remains exceptional: almost anything capable of displaying text can open an RTF file, including very old software.
It preserves essential formatting without carrying along complexity — no macros, no exotic embedded objects — which makes it a simple, predictable exchange format.
Limits & drawbacks
It's noticeably bulkier than its modern equivalents: the plain-text markup inflates file size, and images are poorly compressed within it.
Its capabilities run out quickly: no advanced styles, no proper change tracking, no reliable automatic table of contents. What's more, its ability to embed objects has long served as an entry point for booby-trapped documents — all the more reason to be wary of an RTF file received from a stranger.
Practical tips
There's little reason to choose RTF today. If you receive one, convert it to DOCX to keep editing it comfortably, or to PDF to lock it in place.
It still has a niche use: patching up an exchange with old software or a system that stubbornly refuses DOCX.
Convert your RTF in seconds, on our secure servers in France.
Convert a RTF