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Convert rich text format files

Rich Text Format. Plain text with formatting codes, written so that any program can read it. A stream of ASCII characters. Formatting is expressed as backslash-prefixed control words, and anything unknown is simply skipped. That is the format you end up with when something needs to look the same on every screen, which is why it keeps turning up in pasting formatted text between two programs that share nothing. From here it can become PDF, TXT, HTML, MD and DOCX, and the conversions run on your own device, so the file is never uploaded anywhere.

At a glance

Source
RTF
Where it runs
Your browser
Cost
Free, unlimited
Account
Not needed
RTF

Converter

Universal converter

On device

Drop one or more rich text format files.

or select rich text format

Your file never leaves this browser

    About the format

    Rich Text Format.

    A stream of ASCII characters. Formatting is expressed as backslash-prefixed control words, and anything unknown is simply skipped.

    Where it is good
    • Almost any program that has ever existed can open it
    • Survives being opened and re-saved by ancient software
    • The formatting survives even when the fonts do not
    Where it falls short
    • Verbose — a two-page document can be hundreds of kilobytes
    • No images in the base standard
    • Modern features like tables and footnotes are awkward
    You will find it on
    Old Windows programs, legal and medical systems, email clients

    The thing people miss

    RTF is the rare format that is technically ASCII — you can open it in a text editor and read the text with the formatting still visible.

    Where it goes next

    Pasting formatted text between two programs that share nothing

    Real jobs

    What people are actually doing with RTF

    Pasting formatted text between two programs that share nothing

    A legal notice that has to open in a 1990s word processor

    Recovering text from a corrupted document

    How to

    Converting a RTF file

    1. 01

      Add your rich text format

      Drag the file onto the drop zone, or tap to browse. Only one file is needed.

    2. 02

      Pick what you want it to become

      Every format this file can become is listed in the switchboard. Pick one and the converter opens with sensible defaults already set.

    3. 03

      Download the result

      Your converted file downloads straight to your device. Nothing was uploaded, so there is no file to delete from a server afterwards.

    Also available

    RTF converts into

    PDFPDF documentTXTPlain textHTMLHTML documentMDMarkdownDOCXWord document

    Questions

    RTF conversion questions

    How do I convert RTF to another format?

    Add your rich text format file to the drop zone, choose the target format, adjust the options if you want to, and press convert. The finished file downloads immediately.

    Is my file uploaded anywhere?

    For most conversions, no. They run entirely inside your browser tab. The file is read from your device and the result is written back to your device.

    Do I need an account?

    No. There is no signup step, no email capture and no usage counter. Open the tool, convert the file, close the tab.

    Will there be a watermark or a page limit?

    Neither. On-device conversions produce a clean file with no branding and no cap on pages, size or number of files.