Document
What is a .rtf file?
An .rtf is a Rich Text Format document — formatted text that opens in virtually any word processor.
This extension has been used by more than one format
6 different formats have claimed .rtf over the years, so two files with the same extension aren't necessarily the same kind of thing.
How to open a .rtf file
- WindowsWordPad
- WindowsWord
- WindowsLibreOffice Writer
- MacTextEdit
- MacPages
- LinuxLibreOffice Writer
How to convert a .rtf file
- Save As .docx or .pdf from any word processor.
MIME type
When a .rtf file travels over the web, servers label it with one of these MIME types:
application/rtftext/rtfThe technical record
For archivists, developers and the merely curious: these are the PRONOM registry entries for .rtf.
| Format name | Version | MIME type | PUID |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rich Text Format | 1.0-1.4 | application/rtf, text/rtf | fmt/45 |
| Rich Text Format | 1.5-1.6 | application/rtf, text/rtf | fmt/50 |
| Rich Text Format | 1.7 | application/rtf, text/rtf | fmt/52 |
| Rich Text Format | 1.8 | application/rtf, text/rtf | fmt/53 |
| Rich Text Format | 1.9 | application/rtf, text/rtf | fmt/355 |
| Rich Text Format | 0 | application/rtf | fmt/969 |