RTF to PDF: Convert Rich Text Format Files Online
Convert RTF to PDF without Microsoft Word: upload one .rtf file and LibreOffice Writer lays it out and exports a PDF with real, searchable text. It all runs on our server, and we delete the file automatically within two hours.
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How to Convert RTF to PDF
Upload an RTF file and turn it into a searchable PDF you can download.
- 01Pick one .rtf file from your device.
- 02Make sure it's the right Rich Text Format file and click Convert to PDF.
- 03Wait while LibreOffice converts the document.
- 04Download your searchable PDF.
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RTF to PDF converter features
- Fast ConversionAn RTF document comes back as a PDF in moments.
- Readable OutputYou get a searchable PDF that's easy to share and print.
- Formatting PreservedBasic RTF text styles, paragraphs and lists come along wherever the PDF supports them.
- Private ProcessingWe process files on our server and delete them automatically within two hours.
- No RegistrationConvert an RTF file without making an account.
- Works AnywhereIt runs in any modern desktop or mobile browser.
Convert RTF to PDF Online
Rich Text Format files still turn up everywhere: exported letters, reports from older software, templates that have been passed around for years. They open in most word processors, but each one can lay them out a little differently. Converting RTF to PDF fixes the layout, so the document looks the same for everyone who opens or prints it.
This converter runs LibreOffice Writer on our server. You don't need Microsoft Word, and the PDF keeps real text you can search and copy. If you're going the other way, our PDF to RTF converter turns a PDF back into an editable RTF document.
Convert Your RTF File to PDF Online for FreeWhat an RTF file is and why you would convert it
Rich Text Format is a document format Microsoft developed for moving documents between programs, and it published versions from 1987 to 2008. Microsoft has stopped adding to it since then, but almost every word processor still reads it.
An RTF file is plain text full of formatting codes, and every program reads those codes its own way. A file that sets no paper size gets US Letter, the default page of the RTF specification, and that's what our test PDFs came out as.
How to convert an RTF file to PDF online
One .rtf file at a time, up to 25 MB.
- Pick the .rtf file from your device.
- Check it's the right file, then click Convert To PDF.
- Wait while LibreOffice converts the document.
- Download the PDF and open it to check the pages.
The file gets checked before conversion. One that doesn't start with the RTF header, say a Word file renamed to .rtf, is rejected with an error message.
Which RTF formatting survives the conversion
To find out, in October 2026 we wrote an RTF with the same control words WordPad saves: a bold heading, Calibri text with red, italic and underlined words, one line in Arial, a bordered table of three rows and an embedded PNG picture. The 32.8 KB file came back as one US Letter page of 79.4 KB.
| In the RTF | In the PDF |
|---|---|
| Bold heading, red, italic and underlined words | All kept, in Calibri, Calibri Bold and Calibri Italic |
| One line set in Arial | Kept in Arial, so two font families sit side by side as in the file |
| Table with borders, 2 columns and 3 rows | Kept with its borders, and the cell text is real text |
| Embedded PNG picture, 200 by 150 pixels | Kept, stored as a JPEG with a separate transparency mask |
Give floating text boxes and unusual positioning a closer look, though. Writer may place them a little differently from the program that made the file.
Fonts, images and page breaks
If the document uses a font our server doesn't have, LibreOffice swaps in a similar one. A stand-in with different letter widths can push a line or a paragraph onto the next page.
Images stored inside the RTF get converted with it. An image that's only linked from another file on your computer can't come along, because only the RTF gets uploaded.
Fonts explain the file size too. Our 143-byte test.rtf became a 36.4 KB PDF because the PDF carries the letters it uses from Arial and Arial Bold, about three quarters of the file, so it shows the same on a computer that doesn't have those fonts.
Web links and Mac RTFD files
Web links stay clickable. In October 2026 we converted an RTF whose link is a HYPERLINK field, the way Word writes links into RTF, and the PDF had a working link to the same address.
You can't upload a Mac .rtfd file as it is, because it's a folder that holds the text as TXT.rtf next to its pictures. You can upload the TXT.rtf from inside it, but the pictures stay behind: in our test, the PDF showed the picture's file name, photo.png, and a ¬ sign where the picture should have been.
So for an RTFD with pictures, make the PDF on the Mac itself, or save the document in a format that keeps its pictures inside the file, such as .docx, and convert that with Word to PDF.
What happened when we tested RTF to PDF
We converted test.rtf, a small test file of 143 B, with no options to set. The conversion took 0.8 seconds on our test server.
The download, test_RTFToPDF.pdf, was a one-page PDF of 36.4 KB. Tested in October 2026.
When to keep RTF and when to send PDF
Keep the RTF while the document's still being edited, or when someone needs a working copy any word processor can open. Send a PDF once it's final and has to look the same everywhere.
Converting other text documents? Use Word to PDF for .doc and .docx, ODT to PDF for OpenDocument text and TXT to PDF for plain text. Then combine the results into one file with Merge PDF.
Frequently Asked Questions About RTF to PDF
Why is the PDF so much bigger than my RTF?
The PDF embeds the letters it uses from each font. Our 143-byte test file became 36.4 KB, and 27.3 KB of that is Arial and Arial Bold font data.
Will the converted PDF be searchable?
Yes. Text in the RTF becomes real text in the PDF, so you can search, select and copy it.
Why does my font look different in the PDF?
The server probably doesn't have that font, so LibreOffice used a similar one. Switch to a common font in the RTF and convert again.
Can I convert an RTF with images?
Yes, as long as the images are stored inside the RTF. Images that are only linked to another file get left out.
Can I convert several RTF files at once?
No. It takes one RTF file per run, so convert them one after another.
Does converting RTF to PDF change the original file?
No. You download a separate PDF, and your RTF stays as it is.
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