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Introduction to RTF

With its many powerful features, Microsoft Word has become a popular—almost ubiquitous—word processing application. By some estimates, its market share approaches 95%.^[1] However, it is important to remember that not everyone has Word, and some may be unable to open documents saved in Word’s native file format (.doc). An alternative format—one which offers nearly universal compatibility with different word processing software and computer operating systems—is the Rich Text Format (RTF).

According to Microsoft, its creator, “The Rich Text Format (RTF) Specification provides a format for text and graphics interchange that can be used with different output devices, operating environments, and operating systems.” Like “.doc,” RTF is a proprietary file format, but it has been designed to be more widely compatible and transferable. In fact, RTF is often the best way to preserve a document’s layout and presentation when Word is not available. Its major drawback is its large file size, especially with documents containing many graphics. Other formats, such as PDF and HTML, may be smaller, but often require more work to preserve formatting and maintain accessibility.

When posting documents to the Web, it is always important to supply alternative file formats. In addition to “.doc,” you should consider formats such as HTML, PDF, and RTF. Of the three, RTF is perhaps the simplest to create.

How to create an RTF in Word 2007

(The following instructions apply to Word documents saved in the Word 2007 or .docx file format.)

To save a Word document in the RTF format, follow these steps:

1. Open the document you wish to make available in RTF format.
2. Choose Office Button > Save As > Other Formats (Figure 1).
3. From the drop down list labeled “Save as type,” choose “Rich Text Format (*.rtf)” (Figure 2).
4. Click “Save.”

Figure 1: Saving in Other Formats

Choose Office Button > Save As > Other Formats.

Figure 2: Saving as RTF

Choose Rich Text Format (*.rtf) from the “Save as type:” drop-down list.

How to create an RTF in Word 2003

The following instructions apply to Word 2003 documents, as well as Word 2007 documents saved in the "Word 97-2003 Document" or .doc file format (also called Compatibility Mode).

To save a Word document in the RTF format, follow these steps:

1. Open the document you wish to make available in RTF format.
2. Choose File > Save As.
3. From the drop down list labeled “Save as type,” choose “Rich Text Format (*.rtf).”
4. Click “Save.”

Figure 3: Saving as RTF

Choose Rich Text Format (*.rtf) from the “Save as type:” drop-down list.

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