What happens when you convert RTF to PDF
- The RTF is opened by LibreOffice, the open-source office suite, on our conversion server and exported to PDF with its layout: text, fonts, images, tables, headers, footers and page breaks.
- Where the document uses a font our server does not have, a metric-compatible one is used instead: Carlito for Calibri, Caladea for Cambria and Liberation fonts for Arial, Times New Roman and Courier New, so line breaks stay where they were. Unusual or decorative fonts may look different.
- Password-protected documents cannot be converted, because they cannot be opened without the password.
- 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 RTF to PDF online
- Press "Choose RTF 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 PDF". 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 PDF with its download button. Our server has already deleted both your RTF and the PDF by then.
Why convert RTF to PDF?
RTF files usually come from documents exchanged between different word processors. People convert them to PDF because a PDF looks the same on every device and is what forms, portals and printers ask for.
In short, RTF is good at what it was made for, and PDF is the more practical choice when the file has to open, upload or print somewhere else. RTF opens in Word, WordPad, TextEdit, Pages and LibreOffice, while PDF opens in every browser's built-in viewer.
How to convert RTF to PDF on Windows, Mac, iPhone and Android
On Windows
Open this page in Chrome, Edge or Firefox, drag your RTF files in from File Explorer, and press Convert. Each PDF is saved to your Downloads folder.
On a Mac
Safari, Chrome and Firefox all work. Drag the RTF files from Finder onto the drop zone and the PDF files land in Downloads.
On iPhone and iPad
Open the page in Safari and tap Choose RTF files. You can pick from Photos or from the Files app. The converted PDF appears in Files, in the Downloads folder.
On Android
Open the page in Chrome, tap Choose RTF files and pick them from Files or your gallery. The PDF is saved to the Download folder, where any file manager can find it.
Best settings for RTF to PDF
There are no settings to choose: the RTF is opened and saved as one PDF page per image, sized to the image, keeping as much of its formatting as the format allows.
Check the converted file before deleting the RTF. Simple documents convert exactly; unusual fonts, complex layouts and advanced features are where differences appear.
RTF vs PDF: the differences
| RTF | ||
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Rich Text Format | Portable Document Format |
| Type | word-processing document | document |
| Created by | Microsoft | Adobe |
| First released | 1987 | 1993 |
| Compression | Lossless | Lossy or lossless |
| Transparency | n/a | No |
| Animation | n/a | No |
| Vector or raster | n/a | Vector |
| Colour | n/a | any colour, pages can mix text, vectors and images |
| What it holds | text with fonts, bold, italic and simple tables, written as readable control words | any colour, pages can mix text, vectors and images |
| In a browser | opens in Word, WordPad, TextEdit, Pages and LibreOffice | opens in every browser's built-in viewer |
| Common uses | documents exchanged between different word processors | documents, forms, invoices and print-ready files |
| MIME type | application/rtf | application/pdf |
About RTF and PDF files
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.
What is a PDF file?
A PDF fixes the layout of every page so it looks the same on any device. Converting a PDF to an image renders each page to pixels; converting an image to PDF wraps it as a page.
RTF to PDF not working? Common problems
- "Files up to 25 MB can be converted." Server conversions have a size limit. Compress the images in the document, or split it, and try again.
- "The conversion took too long and was stopped." Very long or complex documents can exceed the time limit. Split the document and convert the parts.
- The document will not convert. It may be password protected, damaged, or saved in a newer or unusual version of the format.
Convert RTF to PDF from the command line
This page uses LibreOffice. Installed on your computer, it converts from the command line without opening a window:
soffice --headless --convert-to pdf input.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.
RTF to PDF converter FAQ
Will I lose quality converting RTF to PDF?
The PDF looks like the RTF printed: text stays sharp and selectable, and images keep their resolution. Fonts our server lacks are replaced with close equivalents, which can change the look of unusual fonts.
Why is the PDF a different size from the RTF?
A PDF embeds the fonts and images it uses, so it may be larger or smaller than the RTF depending on its pictures. Text-only documents usually make small PDFs.
Are my RTF files uploaded?
Yes, for this conversion. A faithful RTF to PDF conversion needs LibreOffice, the open-source office suite, 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 PDF as soon as the result has been sent back to you. We do not keep, read or share it.
Can I convert several RTF files to PDF 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 a PDF file?
PDF opens in every browser's built-in viewer. PDF is common for documents, forms, invoices and print-ready files.
Is this RTF to PDF 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 RTF to PDF 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 PDF is saved to your Downloads folder.