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Convert RTF to TXT

Convert RTF to TXT in seconds. Free, no signup, no watermark, no file-size limit. Your file is processed in your browser and never uploaded.

At a glance

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

Converter

RTF to TXT

On device

Drop one or more rich text format files.

or select rich text format

Your file never leaves this browser

    The details

    What happens when you convert between document formats

    Rich Text Format. Plain text with formatting codes, written so that any program can read it. The document is opened in a layout engine and re-saved in the target format, mapping each style onto the closest equivalent in the new format. The result is a nothing but characters. the simplest file format and the most compatible, produced entirely inside your browser.

    What survives

    • The text and the paragraph structure
    • Most formatting: fonts, sizes, colours, alignment, lists and tables
    • Embedded images

    What changes

    • Styles that have no equivalent are approximated
    • The file may gain or lose features the target format does not support

    Where it goes wrong

    • Styles are usually mapped by name, so renaming a style before converting can lose the mapping
    • The target format may not support the same page size or margins

    Why anyone would do this

    Different teams use different formats, and the content should not be held hostage by that.

    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.

    About the target

    Nothing but characters.

    A sequence of bytes, usually UTF-8, with a line ending convention. There is no header and no metadata.

    • Any device on earth can open it
    • Searchable, greppable and scriptable
    • Zero conversion risk, because there is nothing to lose

    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

    Specification

    The details, in one table

    Source formatRTF — Rich Text Format
    Target formatTXT — Plain text
    Typical source size10 KB – 2 MB
    RunsIn your browser
    Account neededNo
    WatermarkNone
    File extension.rtf → .txt

    How to

    RTF to TXT, step by step

    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

      Choose the TXT settings

      Set the TXT-specific options — everything happens locally, so the speed is your device, not a queue.

    3. 03

      Download the result

      The finished TXT downloads to your device. Nothing is uploaded and nothing is retained.

    Also available

    RTF converts into

    PDFPDF documentHTMLHTML documentMDMarkdownDOCXWord document

    Questions

    RTF conversion questions

    What actually happens to my RTF file when I convert it to TXT?

    The document is opened in a layout engine and re-saved in the target format, mapping each style onto the closest equivalent in the new format. So the RTF file is unpacked, the content is laid out, and the result is written out as TXT. The text and the paragraph structure survives unchanged.

    Will converting RTF to TXT reduce the quality?

    Partly. Styles that have no equivalent are approximated The text itself is never re-typed, so no words are lost.

    Is my RTF file uploaded to a server?

    No. This RTF to TXT conversion runs as JavaScript inside your browser tab. The file is read from your device and the result is written back to your device, so there is no upload step, no file-size limit and no copy of your RTF file on any server.

    Do I need an account or will there be a watermark?

    Neither. There is no sign-up step, no email capture and no watermark on the output. The only limits are the ones your own device imposes.

    What is the most common mistake people make when converting RTF to TXT?

    Styles are usually mapped by name, so renaming a style before converting can lose the mapping

    Why would somebody convert RTF to TXT at all?

    Different teams use different formats, and the content should not be held hostage by that. In short: pasting formatted text between two programs that share nothing

    Something most people do not know about RTF?

    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.