The letters "RTF" after a dot in a file name indicate an extended text format. In addition to the text itself, which has a wide range of font, paragraph, and table formatting, an RTF document contains graphical objects. Page formatting is also used: the use of background fills, substrates, etc. This file type is very similar to the "DOC" format, but was developed much earlier for use on the clipboard. That is, when copying any marked-up text content, it is stored in the buffer in this format.
Each operating system has a built-in editor that can open RTF files: on Windows - Wordpad, on Mac - Text Edit. In addition to system editors, applications from office packages can be used to open RTF files: editors "Ms Office Word", "", "" and "Abi Word".
It is also necessary to note the portable free program "CLi.K" (Clipboard Keeper). This small but multifunctional utility is designed to work with the clipboard and uses the RTF format in its work. You need to open files from the working window of the utility.
The most common problem that prevents users from opening this file is an incorrectly assigned program. To fix this in Windows, you need to right-click on the file, in the context menu, move the mouse over the "Open with" item, and select the "Choose a program ..." item from the drop-down menu. As a result, you will see a list of installed programs on your computer, and you can select the appropriate one. We also recommend checking the box next to "Use this application for all RTF files".
Another problem that our users also encounter quite often is that the RTF file is corrupted. This situation can arise in many cases. For example: the file was not fully downloaded as a result of a server error, the file was damaged initially, etc. To fix this problem, use one of the recommendations:
- Try to find the desired file in another source on the Internet. You may be lucky to find a better version. Google search example: "File filetype:RTF" . Just replace the word "file" with the name you want;
- Ask to send you the original file again, it may have been damaged during transfer;
RTF (Rich Text Format) is a text format that is more advanced than regular TXT. The goal of the developers was to create a format that is convenient for reading documents and e-books. This was achieved thanks to the introduction of support for meta tags. Let's find out which programs can operate with objects with the RTF extension.
Three groups of applications support work with Rich Text Format:
- word processors included in a number of office suites;
- software for reading e-books (the so-called "readers");
- text editors.
In addition, objects with this extension can open some universal viewers.
Method 1: Microsoft Word
If you have Microsoft Office installed on your computer, then RTF content can be displayed without problems using the Word word processor.
In general, Word works very correctly with the RTF format, correctly displaying all objects that have meta tags applied to them in the document. But this is not surprising, since the developer of the program and this format is the same - Microsoft. As for the limitation on editing RTF documents in Word, this is more a problem of the format itself, and not of the program, since it simply does not support some advanced features that, for example, are used in the DOCX format. The main drawback of Word is that the specified text editor is part of the paid office suite Microsoft Office.
Method 2: LibreOffice Writer
The next word processor that can work with RTF is Writer, which is included in the free LibreOffice office suite.
There is also an alternative option for launching a text document in the LibreOffice start window.
To implement another option for opening an object, it is enough to move to the final directory in Explorer, select the text file itself and drag it, while holding the left mouse button, into the LibreOffice window. The document will appear in Writer.
There are also options for opening text not through the LibreOffice start window, but through the interface of the Writer application itself.
As you can see, LibreOffice Writer provides more options for opening text than Word. But, at the same time, it should be noted that when displaying text of this format in LibreOffice, some spaces are marked in gray, which can interfere with reading. In addition, the book view of Libre is inferior in terms of convenience to the Word reading mode. In particular, in the mode "Book View" unnecessary tools are not removed. But the undoubted advantage of the Writer application is that it can be used absolutely free of charge, unlike the Microsoft Office application.
Method 3: OpenOffice Writer
Another free alternative to Word when opening RTF is to use the OpenOffice Writer application, which is included in another free office software package - Apache OpenOffice.
There is an option to launch from the start window of the OpenOffice package.
It is also possible to start the document by dragging from Explorer to the OpenOffice start window in the same way as for LibreOffice.
The opening procedure is also carried out through the Writer interface.
Actually, all the advantages and disadvantages of OpenOffice Writer when working with RTF are the same as those of LibreOffice Writer: the program is inferior to Word in visual display of content, but at the same time, unlike it, it is free. In general, the LibreOffice office suite is currently considered more modern and advanced than its main competitor among free counterparts - Apache OpenOffice.
Method 4: Wordpad
Some ordinary text editors, which differ from the word processors described above in less developed functionality, also support working with RTF, but not all of them. For example, if you try to run the contents of a document in Windows Notepad, then instead of pleasant reading, you will get text interspersed with meta tags, whose task is to display formatting elements. But you will not see the formatting itself, since Notepad does not support it.
But in Windows there is a built-in text editor that successfully copes with displaying information in RTF format. It's called Wordpad. Moreover, the RTF format is the main one for it, since by default the program saves files with this extension. Let's see how you can display the text of the specified format in the standard Windows WordPad program.
The fact is that WordPad is registered in the Windows registry as the default software for opening this format. Therefore, if no adjustments were made to the system settings, then the text will open in the specified way in WordPad. If changes were made, then the document will be launched using the software that is assigned by default to open it.
It is possible to launch RTF also from the WordPad interface.
Of course, in terms of displaying content, WordPad is significantly inferior to all the word processors that were listed above:
- This program, unlike them, does not support working with images that can be embedded in a document;
- She does not break the text into pages, but presents it as a single tape;
- The application does not have a separate reading mode.
But at the same time, WordPad has one important advantage over the programs mentioned above: it does not need to be installed, as it is included in the basic version of Windows. Another advantage is that, unlike previous programs, in order to launch RTF in WordPad, by default, just click on an object in Explorer.
Method 5: CoolReader
Not only word processors and editors can open RTF, but also readers, that is, software designed exclusively for reading, and not for editing text. One of the most popular programs of this class is CoolReader.
In general, CoolReader displays RTF content formatting quite correctly. The interface of this application is more readable than that of word processors and, moreover, text editors, which we described above. At the same time, unlike previous programs, it is impossible to edit text in CoolReader.
Method 6: AlReader
Another reader that supports working with RTF is AlReader.
Displaying RTF content in this program is not much different from the capabilities of CoolReader, so in this particular aspect, the choice is a matter of taste. But in general, AlReader supports more formats and has more extensive tools than CoolReader.
Method 7: ICE Book Reader
The next reader that supports the described format is the ICE Book Reader. True, it is more focused on creating a library of e-books. Therefore, the opening of objects in it is fundamentally different from all previous applications. You won't be able to run the file directly. It will first need to be imported into the internal library of the ICE Book Reader, and after that it will be opened.
- Activate ICE Book Reader. Click the icon "Library", which is represented by a folder-shaped icon in the top horizontal bar.
- Once the library window is launched, click "File". Select .
Alternatively, in the library window, click on the icon "Import text from a file" in the form of a plus sign.
- In the opened window, navigate to the folder where the text document you want to import is located. Make a selection and click OK.
- The content will be imported into the ICE Book Reader library. As you can see, the name of the target text object has been added to the library list. To start reading this book, double-click the left mouse button on the name of this object in the library window, or click Enter after its release.
You can also select this object, click "File" and then select "To read a book".
Another option: after highlighting the name of the book in the library window, click on the icon "To read a book" in the form of an arrow on the toolbar.
- With any of the above actions, the text will be displayed in the ICE Book Reader.
In general, like most other readers, the RTF content in ICE Book Reader is displayed correctly, and the reading procedure is quite convenient. But the opening process looks more complicated than in previous cases, since you have to import into the library. Therefore, most users who do not have their own library prefer to use other viewers.
Method 8: Universal Viewer
Also, many universal viewers can work with RTF files. These are programs that support viewing completely different groups of objects: video, audio, text, tables, images, etc. One such application is Universal Viewer.
There is also another option.
The Universal Viewer displays the contents of RTF objects in a style similar to that of word processors. Like most other universal programs, this application does not support all standards of individual formats, which may lead to errors in displaying some characters. Therefore, it is recommended to use the Universal Viewer for general familiarization with the contents of a file, and not for reading a book.
We have introduced you to only a part of those programs that can work with the RTF format. At the same time, we tried to select the most popular applications. The choice of a particular one for practical use, first of all, depends on the goals of the user.
So, if the object needs to be edited, it is best to use word processors: Microsoft Word, LibreOffice Writer or OpenOffice Writer. And the first option is preferable. To read books, it is better to use reader programs: CoolReader, AlReader, etc. If you also maintain your own library, then ICE Book Reader is suitable. If you need to read or edit RTF, but do not want to install additional software, then use the built-in Windows text editor WordPad. Finally, if you don't know which application to run a file of this format with, you can use one of the universal viewers (for example, Universal Viewer). Although, after reading this article, you already know how to open RTF.
