How to convert RTF to DOC
- Add your .RTF file - drop it in the box above or click to browse.
- Convert it to .DOC in a few seconds.
- Download your new .DOC file.
What to expect
- RTF's feature set - text, fonts, tables, images, paragraph alignment - maps cleanly into DOC, so quality loss is minimal for typical documents.
- The
.docfile will be slightly larger than the.rtfsource because DOC is an opaque binary format while RTF is plain ASCII text. - Unless the recipient's software genuinely cannot open DOCX, save as
.docxinstead - it is smaller, better supported, and has been Word's default since 2007.
Frequently asked questions
Can I convert RTF to DOC without Microsoft Word?
Yes - LibreOffice Writer is free and produces a
.doc file that Word opens without problems. For most documents the result is indistinguishable from one saved by Word itself.Will formatting survive the conversion?
Yes, for typical content. RTF supports basic formatting - bold, italic, fonts, simple tables, images - all of which map cleanly to DOC. Complex layouts or embedded OLE objects may not round-trip perfectly.
Should I convert to DOC or DOCX?
Choose
.docx unless you know the recipient is using Word 97-2003 or a locked legacy system that specifically requires the older binary format.My RTF was exported from a legal or court system - will it convert correctly?
Yes. RTF is a common export format for legal systems, and the text and formatting carry over cleanly when you save to
.doc.Programs that convert RTF: Microsoft Word · ABC Amber Text Converter · AbiWord · Atlantis Word Processor · IBM Lotus Symphony · TextMaker · Microsoft Works · Ability Write
