Editing Rich Text Format (section)

{{Short description|Document file format developed by Microsoft}}
{{distinguish|Enriched text|Rich text}}
{{original research|date=April 2012}}
{{Infobox file format
| name                   = Rich Text Format
| icon                   = 
| logo                   = 
| screenshot             = 
| caption                = 
| extension              = <code>.rtf</code>
| mime                   = text/rtf<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.iana.org/assignments/media-types/text/ |title=Text Media Types |publisher=iana.org |date=1993-06-08 |access-date=2010-03-13}}</ref><br />application/rtf<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.iana.org/assignments/media-types/application/rtf |title=Application Media Types |publisher=iana.org |date=2007-06-18 |access-date=2010-08-20}}</ref>
| type code              = <code>'RTF.'</code><ref name="rtf16">{{cite web |url=http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa140280(office.10).aspx |title=Rich Text Format (RTF) Specification, version 1.6 |author=Microsoft Corporation |date=May 1999 |access-date=2010-03-13}}</ref><ref name="rtf18">{{cite web |url=http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=AC57DE32-17F0-4B46-9E4E-467EF9BC5540&displaylang=en |title=Word 2003: Rich Text Format (RTF) Specification, version 1.8 |author=Microsoft Corporation |website=[[Microsoft]] |date=2004-04-20 |access-date=2010-03-13}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://arstechnica.com/apple/reviews/2005/04/macosx-10-4.ars/11 |title=Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger&nbsp;– File types revisited |author=John Siracusa |date=2005-04-28 |access-date=2010-03-13}}</ref>
| uniform type           = public.rtf
| magic                  = <code>{\rtf</code>
| owner                  = [[Microsoft]]
| released               = {{Start date and age|1987}}
| latest release version = 1.9.1
| latest release date    = {{Start date and age|2008|03|19|df=yes}}
| genre                  = [[Document file format]]
| container for          = 
| contained by           = 
| extended from          = 
| extended to            = 
| standard               = 
| open                   = [[#History|No]]
| url                    = 
}}
The '''Rich Text Format''' (often abbreviated '''RTF''') is a [[Proprietary format|proprietary]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://accessproject.colostate.edu/udl/modules/word/tut_rtf.cfm |title=tutorial: Rich Text Format (RTF) |quote=Like “.doc,” RTF is a proprietary file format, but it has been designed to be more widely compatible and transferable. |publisher=Colorado State University |access-date=2010-03-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120630142357/http://accessproject.colostate.edu/udl/modules/word/tut_rtf.cfm |archive-date=2012-06-30 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="e-gov-uk">{{cite web |url=http://cabinetoffice.gov.uk/e-government/resources/handbook/html/4-3.asp |archive-url=http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20070402094640/cabinetoffice.gov.uk/e-government/resources/handbook/html/4-3.asp |url-status=dead |archive-date=2007-04-02 |title=4.3 Non-HTML file formats |quote=There are many different revisions of Microsoft's proprietary Rich Text Format and portability of files will depend on what version of RTF is being used. |publisher=e-Government Unit |date=May 2002 |access-date=2010-03-13}}</ref><ref name="e-gov-uk-archived">{{cite web |url=http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/e-government/resources/handbook/html/4-3.asp  |title=4.3 Non-HTML file formats (archived site) |quote=There are many different revisions of Microsoft's proprietary Rich Text Format and portability of files will depend on what version of RTF is being used. |author=e-Government Unit |date=May 2002 |access-date=2011-01-12 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070321013005/http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/e-government/resources/handbook/html/4-3.asp |archive-date = 2007-03-21}}</ref> [[document file format]] with published specification developed by [[Microsoft Corporation]] from 1987 until 2008 for [[cross-platform]] document interchange with Microsoft products. Prior to 2008, Microsoft published updated specifications for RTF with major revisions of [[Microsoft Word]] and [[Microsoft Office|Office]] versions.

Most [[word processor]]s are able to read and write some versions of RTF.<ref name="seniortechcenter">{{cite web|url=http://www.seniortechcenter.org/desktop_publishing/rich_text_format.php |title=Benefits of Rich Text Format (RTF)|work=Desktop Publishing, Presentations & Word Processing|publisher=ETR Associates |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080323033333/http://www.seniortechcenter.org/desktop_publishing/rich_text_format.php |archive-date = 2008-03-23}}</ref> There are several different revisions of RTF specification; portability of files will depend on what version of RTF is being used.<ref name="e-gov-uk" /><ref name="rtf-cookbook">{{cite web |url=https://metacpan.org/module/SBURKE/RTF-Writer-1.11/lib/RTF/Cookbook.pod#NOTES |title=Sean M. Burke&nbsp;– RTF-Writer&nbsp;– The RTF Cookbook |access-date=2013-09-16}}</ref>

RTF should not be confused with [[enriched text]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc1896 |title=The text/enriched MIME Content-type |first1=P. |last1=Resnick |first2=A. |last2=Walker}}</ref> or its predecessor Rich Text,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc1341 |title=MIME (Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions): Mechanisms for Specifying and Describing the Format of Internet Message Bodies |first1=N. |last1=Borenstein |first2=N. |last2=Freed}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc1521 |title=MIME (Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions) Part One: Mechanisms for Specifying and Describing the Format of Internet Message Bodies |first1=N. |last1=Borenstein |first2=N. |last2=Freed}}</ref> or with IBM's [[RFT-DCA]] (Revisable Format Text-Document Content Architecture), as these are different specifications.