PDF to RTF - Convert PDF to Rich Text Format

What is a PDF to RTF converter?

A PDF to RTF converter reads a PDF document and produces a Rich Text Format file — an editable text document that opens in almost every word processor ever made. Unlike PDF, which locks content into fixed positions, RTF keeps only the text and its structure: paragraphs, headings, fonts, sizes and alignment. That makes the output editable, portable and future-proof.

This tool uses pdf.js to read each PDF page, groups text items into lines and paragraphs, then writes a valid RTF string in JavaScript. Everything runs in your browser, so the PDF never leaves your device. You control the font, size, alignment, page range and structural toggles before downloading.

How PDF to RTF conversion works

For each PDF page, the tool extracts every text item with its position, groups items that share a baseline into lines, then detects paragraph boundaries from vertical gaps. Detected headings become bold paragraphs, the rest become body paragraphs. Each paragraph is escaped to RTF's `\\`, `{`, `}` and `\uN?` conventions before being written to the file.

Who should use this PDF to RTF tool?

Anyone who needs the text of a PDF inside a word processor — for editing, quoting, translating or restructuring. RTF is the oldest and most universally supported rich-text format, so it is the right target when you do not know what app the recipient will use.

Why convert PDF to RTF instead of PDF to Word?

Both RTF and DOCX are editable formats. The choice depends on compatibility, not features.

RTF opens in every word processor ever made

Microsoft shipped RTF in 1987 as a vendor-neutral interchange format, and it has been supported continuously ever since. Word, WordPad, LibreOffice Writer, Apache OpenOffice, Google Docs, Pages, TextEdit, AbiWord, Nisus Writer, Scrivener, Emacs, Vim, BBEdit — all of them read RTF. A .docx still fails in some legacy apps, but a .rtf almost never does.

RTF is smaller and simpler

A .rtf file is plain ASCII with a handful of control words. It is smaller than .docx, easier to inspect, and easier to repair by hand. If you need to store editable text in a repository, back it up for decades, or send it to someone whose app you do not know, RTF is the safe choice.

When to choose PDF to Word instead

If you need modern features — track changes, comments, complex tables, embedded images, styles — choose PDF to Word. RTF is text-first; it does not carry tables, images, footnotes or complex formatting well.

How to convert PDF to RTF in 5 steps

The conversion is short and needs no account. Follow these steps and the first RTF will be ready in under a minute.

1. Add your PDFDrag a text-based PDF onto the upload card, click Browse, or import directly from Google Drive or Dropbox. The tool loads the file inside your browser using pdf.js — nothing is uploaded to a server.
2. Choose font and layoutPick a font family (Times New Roman, Arial, Calibri, Georgia or Courier New) and a base size. Alignment controls whether paragraphs are left-aligned, justified, centred or right-aligned.
3. Set the page rangeExtract all pages, only the first page, or a custom range from page X to page Y. The RTF respects that range — no blank pages or empty markers.
4. Toggle text structureDetect headings promotes large short lines into bold RTF paragraphs. Group lines into paragraphs merges lines that share a baseline. Insert page breaks puts a real \page between pages.
5. Convert and downloadClick Convert to RTF. Preview the extracted text or the raw RTF source, then download the .rtf file and open it in Word, LibreOffice, Google Docs or any RTF-compatible editor.

Testing with one page first

Before converting the whole PDF, choose First page only and inspect the Preview tab. If headings and paragraphs look right, convert the full document. If the preview is empty, the PDF is probably scanned and needs OCR first.

Download and open

Download the .rtf file and double-click to open it in your default editor. If Word is installed, it opens directly. On a Mac, TextEdit opens it by default. On Linux, LibreOffice Writer. To open it in Google Docs, upload it to Google Drive, right-click and choose Open with > Google Docs.

Features of the PDF to RTF converter

The tool was built for people who want clean, editable text without extra complexity.

Configurable font and size

Choose Times New Roman, Arial, Calibri, Georgia or Courier New, and set the base size to 10, 11, 12, 14 or 16 points. The whole document inherits that font, and detected headings are scaled to 1.4× of the base size.

Four alignment modes

Left, justified, centred or right-aligned. Justified is the standard choice for book-like documents; left-aligned is safer for code, poetry and lists.

Structural toggles

Detect headings, group lines into paragraphs and insert page breaks can each be toggled independently. Together they let you match the RTF to the source PDF's structure as closely as the format allows.

Live preview and raw RTF

The Preview tab shows the extracted text rendered with the chosen font, size and alignment. The RTF Source tab shows the exact control words that will be written to the file.

Page range selection

Extract all pages, only the first page, or a custom range from page X to page Y. Useful for previewing a single chapter before converting a 300-page book.

What is RTF (Rich Text Format)?

RTF stands for Rich Text Format. Microsoft developed it in 1987 as a way to move formatted text between Word and other word processors. It is a plain ASCII format: no compression, no binary structure, no proprietary tags. The current specification is available on the Microsoft Download Center.

RTF structure

An RTF file starts with {\rtf1\ansi\deff0, followed by optional font and colour tables, then paragraphs. Each paragraph ends with \par. Bold is \b, italic is \i, alignment is \ql (left), \qj (justify), \qc (centre) or \qr (right), and page breaks are \page. The file always ends with a closing }.

Unicode in RTF

RTF is ASCII-based but supports Unicode through \uN? escapes, where N is a signed 16-bit code unit. This tool emits those escapes for every character above 127, which is why accented letters, emoji and non-Latin scripts survive in modern readers — though very old RTF readers ignore the escapes and show a `?` instead.

Paragraph and heading detection

The RTF output is only as good as the structure the tool can infer from the PDF. Two heuristics drive that structure.

Heading detection

The tool measures the median line height on each page. Any line that is significantly taller than the median (1.35× or more) and shorter than 90 characters becomes a bold RTF paragraph. This maps titles, section headings and subheadings to visible structure in the output. Turn the option off when you do not want any line promoted.

Paragraph grouping

The tool measures the vertical gap between consecutive lines. A gap larger than 1.7× the median gap starts a new paragraph. That is what makes prose flow correctly — one paragraph per block of body text — while keeping separate paragraphs distinct. Turn the option off to get one line per RTF paragraph, which is useful for poetry, code and tables.

Text-based vs scanned PDFs

This is the most important thing to understand about PDF to RTF conversion. Only one type of PDF works.

Text-based PDFs

Created by Word, Google Docs, LaTeX, online invoices and most digital reports. They contain a real text layer that can be selected, copied and extracted. These convert perfectly, and heading and paragraph detection work as intended.

Scanned PDFs

Created by a scanner or a phone camera. Each page is a picture with no text layer. Selecting text does nothing. These need OCR before they can be converted.

Quick test

Open the PDF and try to select a sentence with your mouse. If the text highlights, it has a text layer and this tool will read it. If nothing highlights, it is scanned and will need OCR first.

Your PDF stays private

Everything happens in your browser. The PDF is loaded with pdf.js, the text is extracted page by page, and the RTF string is assembled in JavaScript. Nothing is uploaded, logged or stored. When you close the tab, the file is gone from memory.

Local processing

Text extraction and RTF generation both run on your device, so confidential documents never leave your computer or phone.

Direct cloud downloads

When you import from Google Drive or Dropbox, your browser fetches the file straight from that provider after you grant access.

No account needed

You can convert without signing in. Read our privacy policy for details about the site itself.

Tips for better RTF output

• Choose the right alignment. Justify for books and reports, left for code and lists.
• Turn off paragraph grouping for poetry and code. Each line stays on its own paragraph, preserving the layout.
• Turn off page breaks for continuous text. Leave it on when the PDF page boundaries carry meaning.
• Test on the first page. Confirm heading detection looks right before converting a 500-page report.
• Use PDF to Word for tables and images. RTF is text-first; images and complex tables will not survive.
• Compress the source PDF first. Smaller PDFs extract faster. Try our Compress PDF tool.

Common problems and quick fixes

Related PDF tools

These pair naturally with PDF to RTF and are all free.

Frequently asked questions