WaywardTools

Document conversion that stays on your machine

Word RTF Swap

Word to RTF

Your file never leaves this device. Conversion runs in your browser. The document itself is not uploaded.

1 · Choose a Word file

…or drop a Word file here

.docx · stays in this tab

2 · Convert

3 · Download

Choose a file to convert. It is not uploaded.

FAQ and format details
Why convert Word to RTF?

Mail-merge tools, curriculum systems, and Windows utilities from the WordPad era reject DOCX. Converting here is more predictable than Word's own RTF export, which can emit a huge dialect those tools choke on.

How this conversion runs

DOCX → HTML via Mammoth → RTF control-word subset. You get paragraphs, bold/italic/underline, and simple lists. You do not get Word's full RTF dump (list tables, themes, revision marks).

Keep in mind for Word → RTF

This is a step down. Styles, comments, headers, and images-as-pictures are not the point. If the destination can open DOCX, send the original. If it can open ODT, Word→ODT may keep more table structure than RTF.

After you have a RTF file

Open in WordPad. If it is good enough, ship it. If the tool still fails, it may want a specific RTF version Word produces — try Word's Save As as a fallback, knowing the file will be larger.

Why is the RTF smaller than Word's export?

Word embeds huge stylesheets and unused fonts. This writer emits a minimal font table and body text.

Do content controls convert?

No. You get the displayed text, not dropdown fields or repeating sections.

This pair at a glance
Accepts
.docx
Writes
.rtf · application/rtf
Read fidelity
high (Word → HTML)
Write fidelity
medium (HTML → RTF)
Source size
Plan for files under 24 MB

The file is read in this tab. It is not uploaded.

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About Microsoft Word (Office Open XML) and Rich Text Format

Source file

Microsoft Word (Office Open XML)

The default Word format since 2007: a ZIP package of XML parts for body text, styles, media, and document settings.

DOCX (Office Open XML WordprocessingML) replaced the binary .doc format. It is the interchange format for business documents: resumes, contracts, manuscripts. Word, Google Docs, LibreOffice, Pages, and OnlyOffice all read and write it. Macros live in a sibling .docm type, which this converter does not execute or emit.

Extensions
.docx
MIME types
application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document
Kind
zip · binary
Category
word processing
Standard
Open format · since 2006
Comfortable size
Up to about 24 MB in this browser converter
Read into HTML
high fidelity · implemented — Decoded with Mammoth into semantic HTML (h1–h6, p, tables, images as data URLs).

What this format can hold

  • headings
  • paragraphs
  • lists
  • tables
  • links
  • images
  • inline formatting
  • headers footers
  • styles
  • comments
  • track changes

Usually dropped on the way in

  • macros
  • track changes
  • comments
  • embedded objects
  • complex text boxes
  • headers footers

Apps that consume Word

  • Microsoft Word (Microsoft) — creates and opens on Windows, macOS, Web, iOS, Android
  • Google Docs (Google) — creates and opens on Web, iOS, Android
  • LibreOffice Writer (The Document Foundation) — creates and opens on Windows, macOS, Linux
  • Apple Pages (Apple) — creates and opens on macOS, iOS
  • OnlyOffice — creates and opens on Windows, macOS, Linux, Web
  • WPS Office (Kingsoft) — creates and opens on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android

Catalog notes

  • .docm, .dotx, and .dotm are not accepted; strip macros before converting.
  • ZIP sniffing is shared with ODT and EPUB — the engine also checks [Content_Types].xml for WordprocessingML.

Destination file

Rich Text Format

A text-based interchange format from Microsoft for basic rich text: fonts, colors, bold/italic, and simple pictures.

RTF was designed so Word, WordPad, TextEdit, and mail clients could exchange formatted text without the full Word binary. It is verbose (control words like \b, \i, \par) but human-inspectable. Fidelity is lower than DOCX: no modern styles, limited tables, and vendor-specific extensions.

Extensions
.rtf
MIME types
application/rtf, text/rtf
Kind
text · mixed
Category
word processing
Standard
Open format · since 1987
Comfortable size
Up to about 7.6 MB in this browser converter
Written from HTML
medium fidelity · implemented — Emits RTF 1.x with ANSI/Unicode mixed encoding, nested list indents, Word-style tables, and PNG/JPEG picts.

What this format can hold

  • paragraphs
  • lists
  • inline formatting
  • images
  • tables

Usually dropped on the way out

  • css layout
  • semantic html5
  • responsive images

Apps that consume RTF

  • Microsoft Word (Microsoft) — creates and opens on Windows, macOS
  • WordPad (Microsoft) — creates and opens on Windows
  • TextEdit (Apple) — creates and opens on macOS
  • LibreOffice Writer (The Document Foundation) — creates and opens on Windows, macOS, Linux
  • Apple Notes (Apple) — creates and opens on macOS, iOS

Catalog notes

  • WordPad-era RTF is the target subset — not the full Word RTF dump.
  • WMF/EMF and OLE picts are skipped; PNG/JPEG picts are inlined as data URLs.
Other conversions

Other conversions from Word: HTMLMarkdownOpenDocumentPDFEPUB

Other ways to get RTF: HTMLMarkdownOpenDocumentPDFEPUB