What is an RTF file?
RTF or Rich Text Format is a file format that lets users create and save text that can be opened on different operating systems. Unlike some other text formats, RTF supports only text and does not include images, videos, or audio. Users can create text in almost any word processing program and save it as an RTF file instead of the default format. This makes it easy to share text between programs, such as Microsoft Office and WordPerfect, and between different versions of Windows. RTF should not be confused with enriched text, Rich text, or IBM’s RFT-DCA.
The first version of RTF, RTF 1.1, was released in 1987. Since then, RTF files have been updated with almost every version of Microsoft Office Word. With each update, a new set of control words is added. The latest version, RTF 1.9.1, introduced the use of XML, XLS, OMML, and SmartTags elements.
Users can also embed font data, 16-bit Unicode characters, and images at the binary level in the file. In plain-text mode, the markup language is readable but not distracting, so the reader can still follow the content.
How do I open an RTF file?
RTF files can be opened and edited with most word processing software, including
- Microsoft Word
- Apple Pages
- Google Docs
- LibreOffice Writer
- TextEdit
- Kword
- Abiword and many others.
RTF is a universal format that is not tied to any specific software.
