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PDF to RTF Converter

Transform PDF into RTF — cross-platform editing, free

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Universal Compatibility

RTF is supported on Windows, macOS, Linux, and mobile platforms. Your converted PDF opens anywhere without format headaches.

Secure Conversion

Your uploaded PDF is deleted right after conversion, and the RTF output is removed within 24 hours. Privacy is built in.

PDF to RTF Fidelity

Text, basic formatting, and images transfer accurately from PDF to RTF — giving you a clean editable document to work with.

How to convert PDF to RTF

1

Select files from Computer, Google Drive, Dropbox, URL or by dragging it on the page.

2

Choose rtf or any other format you need as a result (more than 200 formats supported)

3

Let the file convert and you can download your rtf file right afterwards

About formats

PDF (Portable Document Format) was developed by Adobe Systems, co-founded by John Warnock and Charles Geschke, with the first version released on June 15, 1993. Built on a simplified PostScript imaging model, PDF encapsulates complete document descriptions — text with fonts, vector graphics, raster images, and interactive elements — in a self-contained file that renders identically across every platform, device, and printer. The format evolved through multiple versions, culminating in its adoption as international standard ISO 32000-1 in 2008 (PDF 1.7) and ISO 32000-2 in 2017 (PDF 2.0), ensuring long-term vendor independence. PDF supports an extraordinary range of capabilities: digital signatures, form fields, annotations, bookmarks, accessibility tags, encryption, JavaScript, multimedia embedding, 3D content, and archival-specific profiles (PDF/A). One advantage is absolute visual fidelity — a PDF document looks exactly the same whether opened on Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, or Android, printed on any printer, or viewed decades after creation. Universal software support is another core strength: PDF viewers are built into every major operating system and web browser, and the format is read by hundreds of applications worldwide. Specialized ISO profiles like PDF/A (archival), PDF/X (print production), and PDF/UA (accessibility) extend the format's reach into regulated industries. PDF has become the global standard for document exchange in business, government, legal, academic, and publishing contexts.
Developer: Adobe Systems
Initial release: June 15, 1993
RTF (Rich Text Format) is a document interchange format developed by Microsoft and first published in 1987 with Word 3.0. The format encodes document content and formatting as plain ASCII text using control words (backslash-prefixed commands) and groups (curly-brace-delimited sections) that describe fonts, character formatting, paragraph layout, tables, images, and page setup. Because RTF is fundamentally a text format with no binary components, documents pass cleanly through any text channel — email systems, clipboard operations, and cross-platform transfers — without corruption. Microsoft designed RTF explicitly as a cross-application and cross-platform exchange format, and it achieved broad adoption: virtually every word processor, text editor, and document tool on every operating system has supported RTF reading and writing for decades. One advantage is exceptional cross-platform compatibility — an RTF document created on any application renders with consistent formatting on any other, making it the most reliable format for text exchange between incompatible systems. The text-based structure provides another benefit: RTF files resist corruption, are trivially generated by programs (requiring only string concatenation), and can be debugged by reading the raw markup in a text editor. While RTF lacks modern features like tracked changes and advanced layout controls, and Microsoft declared the specification frozen at version 1.9.1 in 2008, the format persists as a dependable interchange option where DOCX compatibility cannot be assumed.
Developer: Microsoft
Initial release: 1987

Frequently Asked Questions

Why convert PDF to RTF?

RTF works in virtually every word processor on every platform — ideal when you need broad compatibility and editable content from a PDF.

How can I open RTF files?

RTF opens natively in WordPad, Microsoft Word, LibreOffice Writer, TextEdit on macOS, Google Docs, and most other text editors.

Are images preserved in RTF?

Embedded images carry over from the PDF. RTF supports inline graphics, so visuals remain part of the document.

How fast is the conversion?

Most PDFs convert to RTF in just a few seconds. Larger documents may take slightly longer depending on complexity.

Is PDF to RTF conversion free?

Yes — Convertio lets you convert PDF to RTF at no cost. Premium plans are available for users with higher volume needs.

PDF to RTF Quality Rating

4.5 (13,325 votes)
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