Convert DOC to RTF — Free Online Converter

DOC is Microsoft's binary word processing format that relies on the OLE2 compound document structure — a format that only Microsoft fully documents and that non-Microsoft software must reverse-engineer to support. RTF (Rich Text Format) is Microsoft's own cross-platform document format, designed as a human-readable text-based alternative to the DOC binary. RTF uses plain-text control words (like \b for bold and \par for paragraph break) that any text editor can read and any word processor can render.

Converting DOC to RTF trades the binary complexity of OLE2 for the universal readability of a text-based format. The resulting RTF file retains most of the DOC's formatting — fonts, styles, tables, images — while being immune to the binary corruption that sometimes affects DOC files. RTF is one of the few word processing formats that works reliably across Windows, macOS, and Linux with virtually any word processor.

RTF is the safest format for sharing formatted documents when you do not know what software the recipient uses. Every major word processor on every platform — Microsoft Word, LibreOffice, Apple TextEdit, Google Docs, WordPad, and dozens more — can open RTF files without plugins or compatibility modes. Unlike DOC, which may display differently in non-Microsoft software, RTF renders consistently everywhere.

RTF is also immune to macro-based malware. DOC files can contain VBA macros that execute automatically when opened, making them a common vector for virus distribution. Many organizations block DOC attachments in email for this reason. RTF cannot contain executable macros, so it passes through email security filters that would block the equivalent DOC file. For secure document exchange, RTF is a trusted format.

LibreOffice parses the DOC binary and exports to RTF using its RTF Writer filter. The converter maps DOC formatting primitives to RTF control words: \f for font selection, \b for bold, \i for italic, \pard for paragraph reset, \trowd for table rows, \cellx for cell boundaries. Embedded images are converted to RTF \pict groups with hex-encoded WMF, EMF, PNG, or JPEG data. Style definitions are written as \stylesheet entries. The resulting file is plain text (7-bit ASCII with hex escapes for non-ASCII characters), making it human-readable in a basic text editor and extremely portable.