The RTF document file format has been around for nearly 35 years. It was originally introduced by Microsoft in 1987 with the launch of MS Word 3.0 for Apple’s Macintosh computers.
Since then, it has become one of the most universal document formats on all computing platforms. Let’s look at the RTF format in more detail and find out how you can use it.
What Does RTF Mean?
The abbreviation RTF stands for Rich Text Format. It’s a file format that supports formatted text for features such as underlining, bold, italics, etc.
History of the RTF Format
The RTF format was originally designed to be a more universal standard than many of the word processing file formats available at the time. In today’s world, the MS Word DOC format is widely supported but in 1987, there wasn’t a single format that had such wide adoption.
Every word processing application had its own filetype and those weren’t compatible between Windows and Mac computers. This made it difficult to exchange files if you were using a different app or a different type of computer.
Microsoft created RTF to solve this problem, which it did. They stopped developing the format in 2008 but more than a decade later, it’s still supported by most operating systems right out of the box.
How to Open an RTF File
Because RTF is so widely supported, there are lots of options for opening these files. And it doesn’t matter what type of computer or version of the operating system you’re running.
Windows PCs
All Windows-based computers released in the last 15 or more years include an application called WordPad. This app is a very simple version of Microsoft’s Word application but one of its standout features is its RTF support.
Of course, if you use the full version of MS Word, it also supports the RTF format, both for opening and saving files. Most other major word processing applications for Windows also support RTF files.
Mac Computers
If you use a Mac computer, you also have a built-in option for opening RTF files. The TextEdit app is part of macOS and in addition to plain text, it supports the RTF format.
Apple’s Pages word processor also supports RTF, both for opening and saving, as does the Mac version of MS Word. Most other Mac-based word processing apps and office suites also let you work with RTF files.
Linux-Based Computers
If you run Linux or another Unix variant on your computer, you won’t get left out. Most Linux distributions include the free LibreOffice suite and it fully supports RTF files.
If you use a distribution that doesn’t include LibreOffice by default, you can download it for free.
And while Microsoft doesn’t currently offer a native version of its Office suite for Linux, you may be able to use the Windows version through the WINE emulator.
Mobile Devices
RTF isn’t quite as well-supported on mobile devices like the iPhone and Android-based phones. These devices often don’t have apps built-in that can open RTF files but that doesn’t mean it isn’t possible.
Apps like Google Docs and the mobile version of MS Office fully support RTF files so it’s just a matter of installing one of these apps from the App Store or Google Play Store to add support.
Cloud-Based RTF Support
You don’t necessarily need to have an app installed on your computer to work with RTF files. Cloud-based word processing tools like Google Docs and Dropbox Paper also support RTF.
With these tools, as long as you have an internet connection, you can open and edit the files without installing anything new on your computer or other devices.
And if you subscribe to Microsoft’s Office 365 service, you have access to the online version of MS Word. The cloud-based version of Word supports nearly all the same features as the full app, including RTF files.
Differences Between RTF and Other Document Formats
You may be wondering why you would use any other document format if RTF is so widely supported. While it is one of the most compatible document formats, there are some limitations compared to other options.
One of the biggest restrictions is that it only supports text content. You can’t add images, charts, or any other type of graphical content to your documents if they’re formatted as RTF.
Other document formats like DOC and PDF let you add other types of content as well as embed content from other applications like MS Excel. This gives you more flexibility in how your documents are structured, at the potential cost of some compatibility across platforms.
How to Convert To and From the RTF Format
If you have a document saved in another format, like DOC, that you want to convert to RTF (or vice-versa) it’s a fairly straightforward process.
MS Word DOC or DOCX Files
The best way to convert between RTF and DOC (or the newer DOCX) formats is to use Microsoft Word. It can open either type of file and then save it in the other format.
It’s as simple as choosing the other filetype from the dropdown list at the bottom of the “save” window to change formats.
PDF Format
If you’re wondering how to convert RTF to PDF, it’s also a simple process with most modern versions of Windows and macOS. Both operating systems have a built-in “save as PDF” feature that lets you save any file you could print as a PDF document.
Converting from PDF to RTF is not so simple, however, because of the structure of PDF files. The quickest way to do this conversion is to convert from PDF to DOC first, then from DOC to RTF.
Just be aware that you’ll likely lose some formatting when you run it through two conversions like this.
The Easiest Way to Convert from DOC to RTF
If you have DOC or DOCX files that you want to convert to the more universal RTF format, the easiest way to do it is with Offdrive’s DOC to RTF or DOCX to RTF conversion tools. Simply upload your DOC/DOCX file, click convert, and you’ll get a secure download link in seconds.
We offer a range of free conversion tools on our website so visit our site anytime you need to convert between file formats.