Rich Text Format
| Filename extension | .rtf |
|---|---|
| Internet media type | text/rtf |
| Type code | 'RTF.' |
| Uniform Type Identifier (UTI) | public.rtf |
| Magic number | {\rtf |
| Developed by | Microsoft |
| Initial release | 1987 |
| Latest release |
1.9.1
(19 March 2008) |
| Type of format | Document file format |
| Open format? | No |
The Rich Text Format (often abbreviated RTF) is a proprietarydocument file format with published specification developed by Microsoft Corporation from 1987 until 2008 for cross-platform document interchange with Microsoft products.
Most word processors are able to read and write some versions of RTF. There are several different revisions of RTF specification and portability of files will depend on what version of RTF is being used. RTF specifications were changed and published with major Microsoft Word and Office versions.
It should not be confused with enriched text (media type "text/enriched" of RFC 1896) or its predecessor Rich Text (media type "text/richtext" of RFC 1341 and ); nor with IBM's RFT-DCA (Revisable Format Text-Document Content Architecture) which are completely different specifications.
Richard Brodie, Charles Simonyi, and David Luebbert, members of the Microsoft Word development team, developed the original RTF in the middle to late 1980s. Its syntax was influenced by the TeX typesetting language. The first RTF reader and writer shipped in 1987 as part of Microsoft Word 3.0 for Macintosh, which implemented the RTF version 1.0 specification. All subsequent releases of Microsoft Word for the Macintosh and all versions for Windows can read and write files in RTF format.
Microsoft maintains the format. The final version was 1.9.1 in 2008, implementing features of Office 2007. Microsoft has discontinued enhancements to the RTF specification. New features in Word 2010 and later versions will not save properly to the RTF format. Microsoft anticipates no further updates to RTF, but has stated willingness to consider editorial and other non-substantive modifications of the RTF Specification during an associated ISO/IEC 29500 balloting period.
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