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RTF to TXT Converter
Strip the formatting codes out of RTF source and get clean plain text — pasted in, processed in your browser.
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Quick Answer
The RTF to Text Converter takes pasted RTF source and removes the control words, brace groups and braces, turning paragraph breaks into new lines and leaving the plain text. It is a quick regex stripper, not a full RTF parser, so it handles simple RTF well and may leave stray characters on complex files. It discards all formatting by design and runs entirely in your browser.
What the RTF to TXT Converter Does
It pulls the readable words out of an RTF file's raw source — the markup that begins with a backslash-rtf header and is full of backslash commands and braces. You paste that source and get just the text.
It is built for when you only want the words. All fonts, colours, sizes and layout are dropped; the result is plain text.
How It Works
RTF marks formatting with backslash control words and brace-delimited groups, while everything else is plain text. The tool turns the paragraph control word into a line break, then strips the control words, simple groups and leftover braces.
It works on the raw RTF you paste, in your browser, with no upload and no library.
Data source & conversion logic
- Paste the RTF source. Paste the raw RTF — the text that starts with the backslash-rtf header, not a rendered document.
- Convert paragraph breaks. It turns the RTF paragraph control word into a real line break.
- Strip control words and groups. It removes simple brace groups and the backslash control words that carry the formatting.
- Clean up. It deletes any leftover braces and collapses long runs of blank lines, leaving trimmed plain text.
What it strips
\par → becomes a line break
\word → control words removed
{ ... } → simple control groups removed
{ } → leftover braces removedWorked example
'\b bold\b0 and \i italic\i0' → 'bold and italic'It strips the backslash codes and keeps the text between them; all formatting is discarded by design.
Privacy
Your RTF is converted to text entirely in your browser. Nothing you paste is uploaded, stored or logged.
There is no account or history; closing the tab clears your text.
Technical Details
| Method | Regex strips control words, groups and braces |
|---|---|
| Paragraph breaks | The RTF paragraph control word becomes a line break |
| Formatting | All dropped (plain text out) |
| Real RTF parser? | No — a quick stripper |
| Best for | Simple RTF source |
| Processing | 100% in-browser |
Standards & references
- Rich Text Format (RTF) — a Microsoft document format (developed 1987-2008, final spec 1.9.1). It is 7-bit ASCII text in which backslash control words and brace groups carry the formatting and everything else is plain text.
- Control words and groups — a control word begins with a backslash; brace-delimited groups define scope. Readers are expected to ignore control words they do not recognise — which is, in effect, what this stripper does.
Accuracy & Limitations
It is a naive regex stripper, not a full RTF parser. It removes backslash control words, simple brace groups and braces, and turns paragraph breaks into new lines.
It works well on simple, mostly-ASCII RTF. Complex files can leave artifacts: nested destination groups, font, colour and stylesheet tables, embedded images or objects, and unicode escape sequences may leave stray characters or drop text.
It discards all formatting by design — bold, italics, fonts, colours and layout are gone. The output is plain text only.
Paste the RTF source itself (the text beginning with the backslash-rtf header). A rendered document copied from a word processor is not RTF markup and will pass through largely unchanged.
Real-World Use Cases
Salvaging text from RTF
Pull the words out of an RTF snippet when you do not have an app that opens it.
Cleaning copied RTF
Strip the markup from RTF copied out of an old application or email.
Quick RTF to plain text
Get plain text fast without launching a word processor.
Prepping text for re-use
Drop formatting before pasting the words into a plain-text field or code.
When to use it — and when not to
Good for
- Simple RTF source to plain text
- Quick text salvage from RTF markup
- Dropping all formatting
- A fast check without a word processor
Not the best choice for
- Complex RTF with tables, images or many groups
- Preserving any formatting
- Non-Latin text stored as unicode escapes
- A .rtf file you have not opened as raw text
For a real document, open the .rtf in a word processor and Save As plain text; for a Word .docx file, use the Word to Text Extractor.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the RTF to text converter do?
It removes the RTF control words, brace groups and braces from pasted RTF source, turns paragraph breaks into new lines, and returns the plain text.
Is it a full RTF parser?
No. It is a quick regex stripper. It handles simple RTF well but can leave stray characters on complex files with tables, images or deep nesting.
What do I paste in?
The raw RTF source — the text that starts with the backslash-rtf header and is full of backslash commands and braces, not a rendered document.
Does it keep any formatting?
No. All formatting is discarded by design. The output is plain text only.
Why is there leftover gibberish in my result?
Complex RTF — font or colour tables, embedded objects, nested groups or unicode escapes — is more than a simple stripper can handle, so some markup can slip through.
How are paragraphs handled?
The RTF paragraph control word is converted to a line break, so paragraph breaks are preserved as new lines.
Does it handle non-English text?
ASCII text comes through fine. Characters stored as RTF unicode escape sequences may not be decoded and can be lost or garbled.
Can it convert a .rtf file directly?
It works on pasted source. Open the .rtf in a plain-text editor, copy the raw markup, and paste it in.
Is my text uploaded?
No. The conversion runs entirely in your browser; nothing is sent to a server.
What is RTF anyway?
Rich Text Format is a Microsoft document format from 1987 to 2008. It stores formatting as backslash control words and brace groups, with everything else as plain text.
What is the best way to convert a complex RTF document?
Open it in a word processor and use Save As to export plain text, which uses a full parser rather than a stripper.
Is it free?
Yes, completely free with no sign-up and no limits.
References
Documented against this tool's own code: it uses regular expressions to turn the paragraph control word into a line break and remove control words, simple groups and braces — so the page is clear it is a stripper for simple RTF, not a full parser.
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Ready to try the RTF to TXT Converter?
It is free, private and runs entirely in your browser — no sign-up, no uploads, no limits.