A file with the .RTF file extension is a Rich Text Format file. It's different from a plain text file in that it can hold formatting like bold and italics, plus different fonts and sizes, and images.
Sep 11, 2018 - Click the Developer check box to add the Developer tab to the Ribbon. Rich Text Format (RTF) Content Controls support graphics, tables,.
RTF files are useful because lots of programs support them. This means you can build an RTF file in one program on a specific operating system, like macOS, and then open the same RTF file in Windows or Linux and have it look basically the same.

How to Open an RTF File

The easiest way to open an RTF file in Windows is to use WordPad since it's pre-installed. However, other text editors and word processors work in basically the same way, like LibreOffice, OpenOffice, AbleWord, Jarte, AbiWord, WPS Office, and SoftMaker FreeOffice.
AbiWord for Windows can be downloaded from Softpedia.
However, it's important to realize that not every program that supports RTF files can view the file in the same way. This is because some programs don't support newer specifications of the RTF format. More on that below.
Zoho Docs and Google Docs are two ways you can open and edit RTF files online.
If you're using Google Docs to edit the RTF file, you have to first upload it to your Google Drive account through the NEW > File upload menu. Then, right-click the file and choose Open with > Google Docs.
Some other, not-free ways to open RTF files include using Microsoft Word or Corel WordPerfect.
A few of those Windows RTF editors also work with Linux and Mac. If you're on macOS, you can also use Apple TextEdit or Apple Pages to open the RTF file.
If your RTF file is opening in a program that you don't want to use it with, see How to Change the Default Program for a Specific File Extension in Windows. For example, making that change would be helpful if you want to edit your RTF file in Notepad but it's instead of opening in OpenOffice Writer.

How to Convert an RTF File

The fastest way to convert this type of file is to use an online RTF converter like FileZigZag. You can save the RTF as a DOC, PDF, TXT, ODT, or HTML file. Another way to convert an RTF to PDF online, or to PNG, PCX, or PS, is to use Zamzar.
Doxillion is another free document file converter that can convert RTF to DOCX and a host of other document formats.
Another way to convert an RTF file is to use one of the RTF editors from above. With the file already open, use the File menu or some sort of Export option to save the RTF to a different file format.

More Information on the RTF Format

The RTF format was first used in 1987 but stopped being updated by Microsoft in 2008. Since then, there have been some revisions to the format. What defines whether or not one document editor will display the RTF file in the same way as the one that built it depends on what version of RTF is being used.
For example, while you can insert an image in an RTF file, not all readers know how to display it because they aren't all updated to the latest RTF specification. When this happens, images won't be displayed at all.
RTF files were once used for Windows help files but have since been replaced by Microsoft Compiled HTML Help files that use the CHM file extension.
The first RTF version was of course released in 1987 and used by MS Word 3. From 1989 to 2006, versions 1.1 through 1.91 were released, with the last RTF version supporting things like XML markup, custom XML tags, password protection, and math elements.
Because the RTF format is XML-based and not binary, you can actually read the contents when you open the file in a plain text editor like Notepad.
RTF files don't support macros but that doesn't mean that '.RTF' files are macro-safe. For example, an MS Word file that contains macros can be renamed to have the .RTF file extension so it looks safe, but then when opened in MS Word, the macros can still run normally since it's not truly an RTF file.

You can store rich, formatted text in an Access database by using a Long Text (also called Memo) field and setting the field's TextFormat property to RichText. For example, you can make the text bold or underlined, apply different fonts to individual words or characters, and change text colors. You can apply formatting to all or part of the contents of the field when the field is displayed in a datasheet and by editing the field through a bound control in a form or report.

In this article

What is rich text?

Rich text is text that is formatted with common formatting options, such as bold and italics, that are unavailable with plain text. You format your data by using common formatting tools, such as the Ribbon and the Mini Toolbar. Behind the scenes, Access applies Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) formatting code to your data. Access uses HTML because it provides a greater degree of compatibility with rich-text fields stored in SharePoint lists.

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Access stores rich text by using the Long Text data type, which is the only data type that has built-in support for rich text. To create a field for storing rich text, you create a Long Text field and then set that field's TextFormat property to RichText. The two possible values are:

  • RichText Enables rich text and is stored and interpreted as rich HTML markup.
  • PlainText Enables plain text and is interpreted as plain text.

You set the TextFormat property for the Long Text field in table in Datasheet View and Design View. After you store rich text in a Long Text field, you can display it in a form or report by using a text box control. The text box control has a TextFormat property that inherits its initial value from the TextFormat property of the Long Text field. However, you can change the TextFormat property on the text box control.

The following table shows supported rich text formatting options:

Icon
Option
Description
Font name
Selects a different typeface.
Font size
Selects a font size.
Bold
Makes the selected text bold. If the text is already bold, removes the bold.
Italic
Makes the selected text italic. If the text is already italic, removes the italic.
Underline
Makes the text underlined. If the text is already underlined, removes the underline.
Align left
Aligns the text against the left margin.
Center
Centers the text within the margin.
Align right
Aligns the text against the right margin.
Numbering
Begins numbering paragraphs. The number appears prior to each paragraph.
Bullets
Begins placing a bullet before each paragraph.
Font color
Selects a font foreground color.
Text highlight color
Makes text look like it was marked with a highlighter pen.
Decrease indent
Decreases the paragraph indentation.
Increase indent
Increases the paragraph indentation.
Left-to-right
Fills control from left to right.
Right-to-left
Fills control from right to left.

Create a rich text field

You can create a rich text field in table Datasheet View or Design View.

In Datasheet View

  1. Open the table in Datasheet View.
  2. Select Click to Add, and then select Long Text from the list.
  3. Double click the field header and enter a meaningful name for the new field.
  4. Save your changes.

In Design View

  1. Open the table in Design View.
  2. In the table design grid, locate the first empty row. Then, in the Field Name column, type a field name.
  3. In the Data Type column, select Long Text.
  4. Under Field Properties, click the General tab.
  5. Click inside the Text Format box and select Rich Text.
  6. Save your changes.

Change a field to rich text

  1. Open the table that contains the field in Design View.
  2. In the table design grid, click the Long Text field that you want to change to rich text.
  3. Under Field Properties, click the General tab.
  4. Click the Text Format box and select Rich Text.
  5. Save your changes.

Change a rich text field to plain text

Important When you change a field from rich text to plain text, Access prompts you with a warning that all formatting will be removed. After you have applied the change to plain text and the table has been saved, you cannot undo the change.

  1. Open the table that contains the field in Design View.
  2. In the table design grid, click the Long Text field that you want to change to rich text.
  3. Under Field Properties, click the General tab.
  4. Click in the TextFormat box and select Plain Text.
  5. Save your changes.

Clear the Append Only property

To enable rich text formatting for a field, ensure that the Append Only property for the field is disabled. Otherwise, Access hides the text in the field whenever you place your cursor in that field, or in any form or report controls bound to that field.

To disable the Append Only property

  1. Open the table in Design View.
  2. Select the Long Text field that you want to change, and in the lower part of the table designer, on the General tab, scroll down to the Append Only property.
  3. Click the field next to the property and select No from the list.
  4. Save your changes.

Enable rich text formatting for form and report controls

Open rtf file

If you use the commands on the Create tab to create a form or report, and you have enabled rich-text editing for the underlying Long Text field, the resulting text box control inherits the Text Format property set for the Long Text field. If you have data in the Long Text field of your table, that data appears in the text control on your form or report. However, Access does not enable rich text editing when you manually add a control to a form or report, even if you subsequently bind that control to a Long Text field with rich text formatting.

  1. Open the form in Design View.
  2. On the Design tab, in the Controls group, click Text Box.
  3. In a blank area of your form, click and drag your mouse to draw the control.
  4. Click the text area of the new control, right-click the text area of the control (not the label), and then click Properties.
  5. In the property sheet for the new control, click the All tab.
  6. Click the Control Source property box and select your Long Text field from the list.
    By default, the list shows the fields in the table that is bound to your form. If your Long Text field resides in another table, use this expression syntax to bind the control: =[table name]![field name]. Use the brackets and exclamation point exactly as shown. Type the name of your table in the first part of the expression, and the name of your Long Text field in the second part. For example, if you have a table named Notes with a Long Text field named Compliments, you would enter this string in the Control Source property box: =[Notes]![Compliments]
  7. In the property sheet, with the All tab still selected, locate and select the Text Format property box, and then select Rich Text from the list.
  8. Save your changes.