What is a RTF file?
RTF — Rich Text Format
What is it?
RTF is a rich text format: it preserves bold, italics, fonts, colours and simple tables, while remaining far more basic than a DOCX.
Its distinctive trait is that it stays human-readable. Open an RTF in a plain text editor and you'll see your sentences wrapped in commands enclosed in braces. This transparency made it, for twenty years, the universal exchange format between incompatible word processors.
History & origin
Microsoft created RTF in 1987, at a time when every application had its own binary format and moving a document from one word processor to another was a genuine headache. RTF served as a common language.
Its last specification dates from 2008, and Microsoft has since retired it in favour of DOCX. Word still opens it, but the format no longer evolves: it's a veteran nearing the end of its career.
Why it is useful
Its compatibility remains exceptional: almost anything capable of displaying text can open an RTF file, including very old software.
It preserves essential formatting without carrying along complexity — no macros, no exotic embedded objects — which makes it a simple, predictable exchange format.
Limits & drawbacks
It's noticeably bulkier than its modern equivalents: the plain-text markup inflates file size, and images are poorly compressed within it.
Its capabilities run out quickly: no advanced styles, no proper change tracking, no reliable automatic table of contents. What's more, its ability to embed objects has long served as an entry point for booby-trapped documents — all the more reason to be wary of an RTF file received from a stranger.
Practical tips
There's little reason to choose RTF today. If you receive one, convert it to DOCX to keep editing it comfortably, or to PDF to lock it in place.
It still has a niche use: patching up an exchange with old software or a system that stubbornly refuses DOCX.
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