What an RTF file is

RTF stores text with its formatting - fonts, bold, colours, bullets, pictures - as readable codes, so it opens on almost any system. You'll come across it in old WordPad documents, letters and reports exported from business software, and documents made on a Mac, where it's the default format for the built-in text editor.

Opened in a plain text editor such as Notepad, an RTF file shows those codes (it starts {\rtf1) rather than the formatted document.

Open it in your browser

  1. Open Rich Text Editor in your browser.
  2. Choose Open and pick the .rtf file. It's read on your computer; nothing is uploaded.
  3. Edit it with the ribbon - fonts, colours, bullets, pictures and tables.
  4. Save it as .rtf again, or as .docx, .odt or .txt.

Make .rtf files open with a double-click

  1. Install Metre2 Rich Text Editor free from the Microsoft Store.
  2. Right-click any .rtf file and choose Open with > Choose another app.
  3. Pick Metre2 Rich Text Editor and select Always.

You can also set it in Settings > Apps > Default apps: search for .rtf and choose the app. The same works for .docx, .odt and .txt.

Convert RTF to PDF or .docx

  • To PDF: open the file and use Save as PDF. Text stays real text in the PDF, so it can be searched.
  • To .docx: open the file and save it as .docx, which most office software opens.
  • To plain text: save as .txt. Formatting and pictures are dropped.

When an RTF won't open properly

  • If it's really an old .doc file with the wrong extension, it won't open as RTF. Save it as .docx in a program that opens .doc files.
  • Objects embedded from other programs, such as a live spreadsheet, may not come through.
  • If something can't be kept, the editor tells you when you open the file and asks before saving over it.