Free online RTF to TEXT converter

Some scripts, terminals, older devices, and import systems accept only unformatted text, so an RTF document may need to be saved as a .txt file before use. The conversion also removes layout and embedded objects, usually producing a smaller file that is easier to search, compare, archive, or process.

What the rtf format is

Rich Text Format (RTF) is a document format introduced by Microsoft for exchanging formatted documents between word processors. An .rtf file can contain text, fonts, sizes, colors, bold and italic styles, alignment, lists, tables, hyperlinks, and embedded images. Microsoft Word, LibreOffice Writer, Apple TextEdit, and other word processors can interpret its formatting instructions.

RTF stores control words and metadata alongside the document content. Renaming an .rtf file to .txt does not remove those instructions; the file must be exported or converted through an application that understands RTF.

What the text format is

A text file, normally identified by the .txt extension, contains characters without font settings, colors, page layout, images, or other rich-document features. It can be opened by text editors, command-line tools, programming languages, email systems, database importers, and devices with limited document support.

Plain text is easy to search, process with scripts, compare in version-control systems, and transfer between operating systems. Its small size and broad compatibility suit notes, logs, source data, configuration files, and content whose visual formatting is not required.

How to convert rtf to text

Using LibreOffice Writer

1. Open the .rtf file in LibreOffice Writer.
2. Choose File → Save As.
3. Select Text or Text - Choose Encoding as the file type.
4. Enter a filename ending in .txt, choose the destination folder, and save.
5. In the text export dialog, select UTF-8 unless the receiving system requires another encoding. Confirm the export and select a line-ending option if one is offered.

Using Microsoft Word

1. Open the RTF file in Word.
2. Choose File → Save As.
3. Set the file type to Plain Text (*.txt) and save.
4. When Word displays an encoding prompt, choose UTF-8 for modern systems and confirm the conversion.

Using the built-in converter

On 101convert.com, select the RTF file, choose TEXT or TXT as the output format, start the conversion, and download the generated file. The conversion is available without installing software; do not upload confidential documents unless the service's handling and retention terms are acceptable.

Using LibreOffice from a terminal

For repeat or batch conversion on a system with LibreOffice installed, run:

soffice --headless --convert-to txt:Text --outdir output input.rtf

Create the output directory first if necessary. Quote paths containing spaces, for example:

soffice --headless --convert-to txt:Text --outdir "Converted files" "Meeting notes.rtf"

This creates a text file with the source filename in the specified output directory. For large batches, test the command on representative files because table and list conversion can require cleanup.

Quality and compatibility limits

• Formatting is discarded. Fonts, colors, bold and italic styles, page breaks, headers, footers, images, drawings, and most layout information have no plain-text equivalent.
• Tables may become lines separated by spaces, tabs, or paragraph breaks. Complex tables often need manual restructuring.
• Bullets, numbering, indentation, headings, and nested lists can lose their original hierarchy.
• Use UTF-8 for accented characters, non-Latin scripts, and symbols. A receiving program that expects Windows-1252, ISO-8859-1, or another legacy encoding may display characters incorrectly.
• Line endings vary: Windows commonly uses CRLF, Unix-like systems use LF, and older Macintosh software may expect CR. Most current applications handle the difference, but import scripts can require a specific form.
• Open the resulting .txt file in a plain-text editor to verify that no RTF control codes remain and that important characters were preserved.
• Keep the original RTF when formatting, images, tables, or future editing may still be needed; the text export is a content-only copy.