Free online VDX to RTF converter

What the VDX format is

VDX is the XML-based drawing format used by Microsoft Visio for diagrams, flowcharts, organizational charts, network maps, and other structured graphics. Visio versions that support the XML Drawing format create or open files with the .vdx extension; the format stores shapes, connectors, text, styles, and page layout rather than ordinary document paragraphs.

You usually encounter VDX files when receiving an older Visio drawing, exporting a diagram from Visio, or accessing a flowchart without the newer binary .vsd or XML package-based .vsdx format.

What the RTF format is

RTF (Rich Text Format) stores formatted text, basic paragraph and character styles, tables, and embedded objects in a form supported by Microsoft Word, WordPad, LibreOffice Writer, and many document-management systems. It is useful for editing or archiving diagram labels, explanatory notes, and a visual copy of a flowchart when the recipient does not use Visio.

RTF is not a diagram format. It cannot represent Visio shape relationships, connector routing, layers, custom shape data, or page behavior as native editable objects.

How to actually convert VDX to RTF

Use the built-in online converter

1. Open the VDX-to-RTF converter on 101convert.com.
2. Upload the .vdx file, choose RTF as the output format, and start the conversion.
3. Download the generated .rtf file and open it in Word, LibreOffice Writer, or another RTF-compatible editor.

This route is appropriate when the required result is an RTF document containing content extracted from the drawing. Check the output before sharing it, particularly if the VDX contains complex diagrams, nonstandard fonts, or text embedded in grouped shapes.

Convert through Microsoft Visio and Word

1. Open the file in Microsoft Visio using File → Open. If Visio reports that the format is obsolete, open the file in a version that supports VDX and save a working copy first.
2. To retain the diagram’s appearance, select the required page or objects in Visio and use Home → Copy.
3. Open Microsoft Word, create a document, and use Home → Paste or Paste Special. Pasting as a picture gives the most predictable visual result; pasting as a Visio object may require Visio on the receiving computer.
4. Save the document with File → Save As, choose Rich Text Format (*.rtf), and confirm the file extension is .rtf.

For an editable text-only result, copy the text from the Visio shapes into Word instead of pasting the complete drawing. This requires manual cleanup because RTF does not retain Visio’s shape hierarchy or connector relationships.

Quality and compatibility limitations

• A direct conversion generally extracts text and may insert diagram content as an image; it does not turn Visio shapes into editable RTF drawing objects.
• Fonts unavailable on the conversion system can change line breaks, text placement, and page count. Install the source fonts or replace them before conversion.
• Grouped shapes, rotated labels, hyperlinks, layers, custom properties, and connector logic may be omitted or flattened.
• For a faithful editable diagram, keep the original VDX or save a current Visio copy as .vsdx. Use RTF only for document-oriented text and presentation copies.