XLS to RTF Converter

Export XLS spreadsheet tables to RTF format online

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Maximum Compatibility

RTF is recognized by virtually every word processor ever made — converting from XLS to RTF ensures your data is accessible anywhere.

Processed in the Cloud

No CPU load on your machine. Convertio handles the XLS to RTF conversion on remote servers and delivers the result to you.

Rapid Conversion

Get your RTF output in seconds after uploading your XLS. Cloud infrastructure means there is no waiting around for results.

How to convert XLS 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

XLS is the binary spreadsheet format of Microsoft Excel, first introduced with Excel 1.0 for Macintosh in September 1985 and becoming the dominant spreadsheet format worldwide. The format stores workbooks as OLE2 compound document files using the Binary Interchange File Format (BIFF), organizing sheets, cells, formulas, formatting, charts, pivot tables, macros, and metadata across multiple internal streams. Each cell record encodes the cell's value (number, string, boolean, error, or formula), position, and formatting index, while shared string tables and style records reduce redundancy. The format evolved through BIFF versions (BIFF2 through BIFF8), with BIFF8 (Excel 97) establishing the structure used through Excel 2003. XLS supports up to 65,536 rows and 256 columns per sheet, a limit that drove the creation of XLSX. One advantage is universal spreadsheet compatibility — XLS files are recognized by every major spreadsheet application including LibreOffice Calc, Google Sheets, Apple Numbers, and dozens of programming libraries across all platforms. The format's mature feature set is another strength: XLS handles complex formulas, conditional formatting, data validation, named ranges, array formulas, external references, and VBA macros. Although XLSX replaced XLS as the default in Office 2007, the binary format persists in financial institutions, legacy reporting systems, and any environment where Excel 97-2003 compatibility is required.
Developer: Microsoft
Initial release: September 1985
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 XLS to RTF?

RTF is a cross-platform document format that any word processor can open — great for sharing formatted tables without worrying about compatibility.

What programs open RTF files?

Microsoft Word, LibreOffice Writer, WordPad, TextEdit on macOS, Google Docs, and WPS Office all open RTF files without issues.

Are tables preserved in RTF?

Yes — XLS tables convert into RTF tables with cell borders, text alignment, and basic formatting intact on convertio.tools.

Is the conversion free?

Convertio.tools lets you convert XLS to RTF for free. Premium options are available for users who need batch processing or larger files.

Do I need special software?

No — the conversion is entirely browser-based. Just visit convertio.tools, upload your XLS, and get an RTF file back.

Can I upload more than one XLS file?

Yes, batch upload multiple XLS spreadsheets and convert them all to RTF at once in a single convertio.tools session.

XLS to RTF Quality Rating

4.4 (280 votes)
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