What is an RST file?
RST stands for reStructuredText. It was created by David Goodger and the Docutils project and first released in 2002. reStructuredText is the plain-text markup of the Python world: headings are underlined with = or - characters, and directives add notes, images and code. Sphinx builds the documentation of Python itself, and of thousands of other projects, from RST files.
| Type | document |
|---|---|
| Compression | Lossless |
| In a browser | shows as plain text in browsers; Sphinx, GitHub and many code editors render it |
| Common uses | Python documentation, Sphinx sites and README files |
| MIME type | text/x-rst |
Which format should you convert RST to?
- RST to HTML to read it in any browser with headings and links kept.
- RST to MD for documentation, wikis and note apps.
- RST to PDF for a fixed page to print or share.
How to open an RST file
Whether an RST file opens with a double click depends on the device. Here is what works on each, without buying software:
| Windows | Word or the free LibreOffice opens DOCX; any browser opens HTML; Notepad opens TXT and MD. |
|---|---|
| Mac | Pages or TextEdit open DOCX; Safari opens HTML; TextEdit opens TXT and MD. Apple Books opens EPUB. |
| iPhone and iPad | Pages, Word and the Files app open DOCX; Apple Books opens EPUB. |
| Android | Google Docs and Word open DOCX; Google Play Books opens EPUB. |
| Web browser | RST shows as plain text in browsers; Sphinx, GitHub and many code editors render it. |
Want the technical details? See what a .rst file is, with its MIME type, file signature and a viewer.
RST compared with other document formats
How RST stacks up against the formats people most often convert it to or from:
| Format | Compression | Usually contains | Released | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RST | Lossless | plain text with underlined headings, lists, tables and directives | 2002 | Python documentation, Sphinx sites and README files |
| DOCX | Lossless | formatted text, images, tables and styles in a ZIP of XML files | 2007 | letters, reports, CVs and most documents shared at work |
| TXT | Lossless | characters only, with no formatting | 1963 | notes, logs, extracted text and anything that must open everywhere |
| HTML | Lossless | text with tags for headings, lists, links, tables and images | 1993 | web pages, emails and documents meant to be read in a browser |
| MD | Lossless | plain text with simple symbols for headings, lists, links and emphasis | 2004 | documentation, README files, notes and blogging tools |
How to use the RST converter
- Choose the format you want in the Convert to menu.
- Drop your RST files on the box, or press Choose RST files. Several files can go in at once.
- Adjust the settings if you need to; the defaults suit most people.
- Press Convert and save each file with its Download button. The file is converted on our server and deleted as soon as the result is sent back.
Tips for converting RST files without losing anything
Converting an RST file keeps the words exactly; what can change is formatting and layout, depending on what the target format can hold.
- Keep the original document; exporting to plain text or HTML drops layout that cannot be added back.
- Use HTML or Markdown when you want to keep headings, lists and links, and TXT when you only need the words.
- For scanned documents, OCR is the only way to get text; converting the file format alone will not find words in an image.
- Save text as UTF-8 so every language is preserved.
- Check headings after converting to HTML or Markdown; they come from the styles used in the original, so manual bold text stays plain text.
- Plain text has no pages, so page numbers and headers from the original document are dropped.
- For long documents, convert once and search the text output rather than scrolling the original.
- Markdown and HTML both keep links, so check that relative links still point somewhere once the document moves.
Convert RST files from the command line
pandoc does the same on your own computer:
pandoc input.rst -s -o output.htmlConverting 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.
RST converter FAQ
What is an RST file?
RST stands for reStructuredText, a document format created by David Goodger and the Docutils project in 2002. reStructuredText is the plain-text markup of the Python world: headings are underlined with = or - characters, and directives add notes, images and code. Sphinx builds the documentation of Python itself, and of thousands of other projects, from RST files.
How do I open an RST file?
RST shows as plain text in browsers; Sphinx, GitHub and many code editors render it. If the program you need will not open it, convert it to a more widely supported format above.
What is the most common RST conversion?
RST to HTML is the conversion people search for most. The reStructuredText is read by pandoc, the open-source document converter, on our conversion server: headings, lists, tables, links, emphasis, code blocks and footnotes, and written as a standalone HTML page with pandoc's clean default style.
Does converting RST files here upload them?
Yes. RST conversions need pandoc and Chromium, open-source programs that cannot run in a browser, so they run on our conversion 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.
Is the RST converter free?
Yes. There is no sign-up and no watermark. Conversions that use our server accept files up to 25 MB, with a fair-use limit per hour. The site is supported by advertising.
Can I convert RST files on iPhone or Android?
Yes. Open this page in Safari on iPhone and iPad, or in Chrome on Android, choose your RST files and download the results to your Downloads folder.
Can I convert several RST files at once?
Yes. Drop as many as you like; they are converted one after another, each with its own download button.