What happens when you convert EPUB to RTF
- The EPUB is converted by Calibre, the widely used open-source e-book manager, on our conversion server.
- The chapters follow each other in one RTF document, with headings, paragraphs, bold and italic kept. Calibre's RTF output leaves pictures out, so illustrations and the cover are not included.
- This conversion runs on our server: the file is uploaded, converted, and deleted together with the result as soon as the result has been sent back to you. Nothing is kept. Files up to 25 MB are accepted.
How to convert EPUB to RTF online
- Press "Choose EPUB files" and select one or more files, or drag them onto the box. Files up to 25 MB each can be converted.
- There are no settings to choose: the converter keeps everything the target format can hold.
- Press "Convert to RTF". The file is uploaded to our conversion server, converted in a few seconds, and deleted together with the result as soon as the result is sent back.
- Save each RTF with its download button. Our server has already deleted both your EPUB and the RTF by then.
Why convert EPUB to RTF?
EPUB files usually come from e-books from stores other than Amazon and free e-book libraries. People convert them to RTF because RTF opens in almost every word processor, including WordPad and TextEdit.
In short, EPUB is good at what it was made for, and RTF is the more practical choice when the file has to open, upload or print somewhere else. EPUB opens in Apple Books, Google Play Books, Kobo and most e-reader apps; a Kindle needs it sent through Send to Kindle, while RTF opens in Word, WordPad, TextEdit, Pages and LibreOffice.
How to convert EPUB to RTF on Windows, Mac, iPhone and Android
On Windows
Open this page in Chrome, Edge or Firefox, drag your EPUB files in from File Explorer, and press Convert. Each RTF is saved to your Downloads folder.
On a Mac
Safari, Chrome and Firefox all work. Drag the EPUB files from Finder onto the drop zone and the RTF files land in Downloads.
On iPhone and iPad
Open the page in Safari and tap Choose EPUB files. You can pick from Photos or from the Files app. The converted RTF appears in Files, in the Downloads folder.
On Android
Open the page in Chrome, tap Choose EPUB files and pick them from Files or your gallery. The RTF is saved to the Download folder, where any file manager can find it.
Best settings for EPUB to RTF
There are no settings: Calibre keeps the book's own styling, chapters and table of contents where the target can hold them.
Keep the original file; each conversion rebuilds the book, and converting back will not restore what the target could not hold.
EPUB vs RTF: the differences
| EPUB | RTF | |
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Electronic publication | Rich Text Format |
| Type | document | word-processing document |
| Created by | the International Digital Publishing Forum | Microsoft |
| First released | 2007 | 1987 |
| Compression | Lossless | Lossless |
| What it holds | chapters as XHTML pages, with images and a table of contents | text with fonts, bold, italic and simple tables, written as readable control words |
| In a browser | opens in Apple Books, Google Play Books, Kobo and most e-reader apps; a Kindle needs it sent through Send to Kindle | opens in Word, WordPad, TextEdit, Pages and LibreOffice |
| Common uses | e-books from stores other than Amazon and free e-book libraries | documents exchanged between different word processors |
| MIME type | application/epub+zip | application/rtf |
About EPUB and RTF files
What is an EPUB file?
An EPUB is a ZIP archive of web pages, one per chapter, plus a file that lists their order. That is why its text can be extracted with ordinary web tools.
What is an RTF file?
RTF describes formatting with plain-text control words such as \b for bold, so almost every word processor since the late 1980s can read it. It cannot reliably hold newer features such as threaded comments or complex page layouts.
EPUB to RTF not working? Common problems
- "Files up to 25 MB can be converted." Server conversions have a size limit. Compress the images inside the file, or split it, and try again.
- "The conversion took too long and was stopped." Very long or complex files can pass the 90 second limit. Split the file and convert the parts.
- "This file is not really in EPUB format." The converter checks every file before it runs anything, so a file of another format renamed to .epub is refused. Choose the page for its real format.
Convert EPUB to RTF from the command line
This page uses Calibre. Installed on your computer, its ebook-convert command does the same conversion:
ebook-convert input.epub output.rtfConverting on your own computer keeps the file entirely local, which is worth it for very large or very sensitive documents. For everything else, the converter on this page does it without installing anything.
EPUB to RTF converter FAQ
Will I lose quality converting EPUB to RTF?
The text and its basic formatting are kept; pictures are left out.
Why is the RTF a different size from the EPUB?
E-book formats compress text and images differently, so the RTF may be somewhat larger or smaller than the EPUB.
Are my EPUB files uploaded?
Yes, for this conversion. A faithful EPUB to RTF conversion needs Calibre, the open-source e-book manager, which cannot run in a browser. The file travels over an encrypted connection, is converted in a private temporary folder, and is deleted together with the RTF as soon as the result has been sent back to you. We do not keep, read or share it.
Can I convert several EPUB files to RTF at once?
Yes. Select or drop as many files as you like; they are converted one after another and each gets its own download button.
How do I open an RTF file?
RTF opens in Word, WordPad, TextEdit, Pages and LibreOffice. RTF is common for documents exchanged between different word processors.
Is this EPUB to RTF converter free?
Yes. There is no sign-up and no watermark. Because this conversion uses our server, there is a fair-use limit of 25 MB per file and a number of files per hour, which stops the service being overloaded.
Can I convert EPUB to RTF on my phone?
Yes. It works in Safari on iPhone and iPad and in Chrome on Android. The conversion happens on our server, so it is as fast on a phone as on a computer; the RTF is saved to your Downloads folder.