Set Microsoft Word As Default For Rtf On Mac

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By default, the program exports in.RTF format. Files exported in.DOC format use an older version of that format which may not be openable in many versions of Microsoft Word, so you are advised to export to the default.RTF format instead. You may customize the WP Converter by changing its name, as described in the following paragraphs.

Mail is likely the default email app on your Mac, but just in case you have others downloaded, you can set the default reader. Here's how: Launch Mail from your dock or the Finder. Click Mail in the menu bar at the top of the screen. Click Preferences. Click the drop down next to Default Mail Reader. Click the app you'd like to set as the default. In contrast to plain text files, RTF files can contain formatted text. The RTF format also provides users with page formatting options, such as the ability to customize a document's margins, line spacing, and tab width. While Microsoft stopped updating the RTF format in 2008, most word processors still support the format. I chose Microsoft Word for Mac when I switched to a MacBook Pro some years ago. As a writer, I have a very large number of Word files, but with Microsoft moving to an annual subscription model.

How to Use or Convert WordPerfect Files under OS X/macOS

Four ways to use WP files under OS X | Files that must be converted by hand | The WPWordConverter | WPExport | The WPLO Converter | WPConversions | The WP Converter | Miscellaneous converters made for this site | Convert WPMac files with Japanese, Chinese, Korean, and other scripts | LibreOffice and other Mac-based word processors | Other Mac-based conversion software | Home page

Read this first: The information on this page is designed for users of any current or recent Macintosh computer. You should read this page if you have WordPerfect files that you want to open in Word for the Mac or other current Macintosh software.

Important note: Your WordPerfect files do not require a .WPD extension to be used with any of these methods!

If you have WordPerfect for DOS or WordPerfect for Windows files that you want to open in your ancient copy of Microsoft Word for the Mac, you may ignore this page and go directly to another page on this site.

If you want to open or use WordPerfect files in Microsoft Word for Windows, see a separate page.

If macOS says that an application on this page is damaged and should be moved to the trash: Download this FixDamagedApp.zip archive; extract the FixDamagedApp utility and move it to a different folder before running it; then drop the supposedly 'damaged' app on the FixDamagedApp utility. The 'damaged' app should now run normally

Five ways to use WP files under OS X/macOS

1. Run WordPerfect for Windows under Parallels Desktop or VMware Fusion. The commercial applications Parallels Desktop and VMware Fusion can both run a Windows application in a window on the OS X/macOS desktop, and both work surprisingly well to integrate a Windows application into OS X/macOS. You will need a copy of Windows itself in order to use these applications. Search the web for the web sites of these programs. A free application, VirtualBox, can accomplish similar feats, but is infinitely more difficult to set up.

2. Run WordPerfect for DOS under emulation software (recommended only for experienced users of WPDOS). Various methods to perform this feat are described on a separate pages for this site'snew vDosWP method or itsDOSBox method and other, more complex methods based on Windows and either Parallels Desktop or VMware Fusion.

3. Run WordPerfect for the Macintosh under software that emulates an old 68K or PowerPC Mac (recommended only for experienced users of WPMac). These methods are described on separate pages for arecommended and well-integrated system and a less-advanced alternative system, mostly for older Macs.

4. Convert your WP files into Word or RTF format for editing in Microsoft Word, LibreOffice, Pages, or some other Mac-native software; or convert your WP files into PDF format for distribution but not for editing. Different methods for converting WP files may be found on the rest of this page. Printer software samsung m2020 series mac. Each will produce slightly different results.These methods are as follows:

  • The WPWordConverter. This is a small program that works with either Microsoft Word 2016 or LibreOffice, if either of these is installed on your system, to complete a conversion from WP format to Word or PDF formats. This may produce the best results of any method.
  • WPExport. This standalone conversion program, created by this site, uses open-source utilities to convert WP files to DOCX or PDF formats. This is the fastest of these converter programs.
  • The WPLO Converter. This is a large-scale standalone conversion program, created by this site, based on the conversion software in the LibreOffice word-processing program
  • WPConversions. This standalone conversion program, created by this site, uses the old MacLink Plus converters running in the SheepShaver emulator, to convert WP files to DOC or PDF format, or to convert Word DOC or DOCX files into WP 5.1 format.
  • The WP Converter. This is a standalone conversion program, created by this site, that uses embedded copies of WordPerfect for the Mac and the DOS-based ConvertPerfect program. This program can export old WP file formats into more modern WP formats.
  • LibreOffice or other word-processing programs that use the libwpd conversion filter to import WP files, edit them, and export them in other formats, but cannot export edited files in WP format.
  • Other commercial file conversion software.

5. Copy the contents of a WP file to the OS X/macOS clipboard.A utility supplied by this site lets you copy the formatted text of a WP document (created on the Mac or in DOS or Windows) to the OS X/macOS clipboard for pasting in OS X/macOS applications. You need not have a copy of WordPerfect on your system. Download WPtoClipboard.zip and move the application to any convenient folder. You may either drop a document on the application or open the application and select a file.

Files that must be converted by hand or that have other restrictions

Password-protected files. Open these files in a copy of WordPerfect; remove the password; and then convert the file.

WPMac files that use fonts provided by the Mac OS 'Language Kits' (Japanese, Korean, etc.). These files can be converted by theWPWordConverter and the WPLO Converter, or you may try the obsolete method described elsewhere on this page.

The WPWordConverter

This conversion program uses an installed copy of Microsoft Word 2016 (or later) or an installed copy of LibreOffice to complete a conversion from WordPerfect to DOCX, DOC, or PDF formats. If it finds neither a suitable version of Word nor LibreOffice, it uses built-in OS X/macOS tools to complete the conversion.

Its method is to use the open-source libwpd WordPerfect import filter to convert a WP file into Open Document (odt) format, and then uses either Word or LibreOffice to convert from Open Document to DOCX, DOC, or PDF format. Depending on the original document, you may get better results with Word or with LibreOffice.

Download the WPWordConverter inthisWPWordConverter.ZIP archive (1.5 MB). Extract the WPWordConverter and place it anywhere on your disk. If you have LibreOffice, but not Word, change the name of the application to WPLibreConverter.

You can drop one or more WP files on the application to convert them into DOCX format; the original files will remain unchanged; the converted versions will be in the same folder and have the same name as the original, with a .DOCX extension. Alternatively, you can launch the application and select one file to convert.

If you use Word to complete the conversion, Word will need to go online to use a converter on Microsoft's website. This will be slow, and Word will ask permission the first time it does so. (If the application times out this first time, simply run it again.)

If you want to create files in DOC or PDF format instead of DOCX, hold down the Option key when launching the application and follow the prompts.

If you find this application useful, please feel to make acontribution to the site.

WPExport

This standalone conversion program uses the opensource wpd2odt and pandoc utilities to convert WP files to DOCX files or PDF files. It can also convert .WPG images to PNG files using the open-source wpg2svg and rsvg-convert programs. It is by far the fastest of these conversion programs, but the results may not be as satisfactory as the results given by the WPWordConverter.

Download WPExport in this WPExport.ZIP archive (18 MB). Extract the WPExport application and place it anywhere on your disk.

You can drop one or more files on the application to convert them to DOCX format; the original files will remain unchanged; the converted versions will be in the same folder and have the same name as the original, with a .DOCX extension. Alternatively, you can launch the application and select one file to convert.

By default, this application converts WP files to DOCX format, but if you change the name of the application so that it includes the letters 'PDF', it will create PDF files instead.

You may also drop one or more WPG graphics files on the applcation, and it will create one or more PNG files in the same directory.

The WPLO Converter

This standalone conversion program is based on the conversion software in the LibreOffice word-processor, which uses the most recent version of the open-source lipwpd WordPerfect import filter. The converter was devised by the creator of this site; if you find it useful, please feel to make acontribution to the site.

By default, it exports files to .DOC format, but can be customized to export to .RTF or PDF formats instead. (See a separate section for more details about LibreOffice.) The program may also be used toconvert files in modern formats to WPMac format so that they may be edited in WPMac .

Download the WPLO Converter inthis WPLO Converter.ZIP archive (175 MB). Extract the WPLO Converter and place it anywhere on your disk.

Supported versions of OS X/macOS: The WPLO Converter runs under OS X 10.11, macOS 10.12, 10.13, 10.14, 10.15, and 11.0.

Warning:The first time you try to convert a file with the WPLO Converter, it will almost certainly fail with an error message, or it will simply fail without an error. If this happens, simply run the program again. It should work correctly after the first time.

You may convert one or more WP files by dropping them on the WPLO Converter, or you may double-click on the application and select a WP file. The first time you launch the application it may not succeed in starting the required background processes. If this occurs, it will display one or more error messages. Close down the software and try again. After the first time it runs correctly, it should work more smoothly in the future.

The exported files will be in the same folder with the original, with the same name as the original, but with an added .DOC, .RTF, .ODT, or .PDF extension. If a file already exists with the same name, the newly-created copy will have a number at the end of the name, before the extension. By default, the program exports in .DOC format, which is the native format of Microsoft Word 97 through 2003.

The WPLO Converter can convert password-protected WordPerfect documents if -and only if - both of the following are true: (1) you know the password and can enter it when prompted; (2) the documents were created either by WordPerfect for the Macintosh or any version of WordPerfect for DOS or Windows or Unix up to and including 5.2, but not 6.x or later.

You may customize the WPLO Converter by changing its name, as described in the following paragraphs. You may give any name to the application; the presence or absence of specific strings of letters control the way the program operates. For example, you can rename the program 'BritneySpears' and it will work exactly as it normally does; but if you rename it as 'Britney PDF Spears' then it will export to .PDF format instead of the default .DOC format.

Change the default output format. By default the WPLO Converter exports files in .DOC format. To export to .RTF format, add the string 'RTF' to the name of the application. To export to the .ODT format used by LibreOffice and OpenOffice.org, add the string 'ODT' to the name of the application. To export to .PDF format, add the string 'PDF' to the name of the application.

Automatically open the converted file. If you want to edit the converted file immediately after creating it, add the string 'Open' to the name of the converter. The converted file will open in the default application used by OS X/macOS to open the filetype of the converted file. For example, if you add 'Open RTF' to the name of the converter, the converted .RTF file will open automatically in TextEdit.

Specify the application that opens the converted file. If you want the converted document to open automatically in a different application from the OS X/macOS default for the filetype, add 'Setup' to the name of the application. You will be presented with a list of applications that OS X/macOS can use to open the output file; select the one you wish to use. Before running the WPLO Converter a second time, remove 'Setup' from the name. (Each time you use the 'Setup' option, you will need to select an application, or the default application will be restored.)

Display a brief help message. To display a help message, add 'Help' to the name of the application.

Mac

You may also use the WPLO Converter to convert other formats into WPMac formats. To do this, follow these instructions:

To convert from other formats to WP format, change the name of the WPLO Converter so that it includes 'to WP' in its name (that's 'to WP' with a space between the two words, NOT 'toWP' - this is important!). For example, you might call it 'WPLO to WP Converter' or anything that includes 'to WP'.

Drop a DOC, DOCX, RTF, or other standard document file on to the renamed application (or double-click it so that it prompts you to select a file). The application will open and close a few windows, and finally create a WPMac 3.0 file (that's WPMac 3.0, not 3.5e) in the same folder as the original, with the same filename as the original but with a '.wpmac' extension added at the end of the name. That extension is arbitrary, and of course you can rename the output files to any name you like. (If the filename of the converted file is longer than 31 characters, you will need to shorten the name before you can open the file in WPMac.)

If you change the 'LOWP Converter' application name so that it includes 'to WP5' (or 'to WP510101010101' - all that matters is the 'to WP5' part) it will output files in WP51 format instead of WPMac 3.0. If you change the application name so that it includes 'to WP6', it will output files in WP6.x format. If you use either of these options (for WP5 or WP6) the converted file will have the extension '.wpd' instead of '.wpmac'; '.wpd' is the standard extension for WP files under Windows.

Note: The WPLO Converter is frequently updated.

WPConversions

This standalone conversion program uses the old MacLink converters (running under OS 8.6 in the SheepShaver emulator) to convert WP files to DOC or PDF files, or to convert Word DOC or DOCX files to WPDOS 5.1 files (which can be opened in any version of WP for DOS, Windows, or the Mac).

Download WPConversions in this WPConversions.ZIP archive (220 MB). Extract the WPConversions application and place it anywhere on your disk.

By default, it converts WP files to DOC format, but if you change the name of the application so that it includes the letters 'PDF, it will create PDF files instead. Either drop a WP file on the application, or launch the application and select a file. The DOC file (or PDF file) will be created in the same folder with the WP file.

If you rename the application so that it has the string 'toWP' in its name (not case-sensitive, but without a space between 'to' and 'WP') it will convert DOC or DOCX files to WP 5.1 format. Either drop a Word file on the application, or launch the application and select a file. The WP file will be created in the same folder with the Word file.

Summary of naming options:

  • By default, WPConversions creates DOC files.
  • If you like, rename it something like WPtoDOC, and it will continue to create DOC files.
  • Rename it something like WPtoPDF, and it will create PDF files.
  • Rename it something like WordToWP and it will convert Word DOC or DOCX files to WPDOS 5.1 files.

Important! If, when the SheepShaver emulator starts up, it displays a message asking you to check the web for updated filters or continue translation , click the button that says 'Continue Translation'! You may need to click it twice; be patient.

The WP Converter

This standalone conversion program uses multiple methods for converting WP files into other formats. When converting WPMac files, it uses a copy of WordPerfect for the Mac running in the SheepShaver emulator program; when converting most WPDOS or WPWin files, it uses the DOS-based ConvertPerfect utility, running in the DOSBox emulator; for a very few older WP document formats, it uses modules from the DOS-based Word for Word program, also running in DOSBox. By default, it exports files to .RTF format, but can be customized to export to .DOC or PDF formats instead.

Because files created in the WPMac 3.5e (3.5 Enhanced) format may not be opened in WordPerfect for Windows, the WP Converter can also export these files to the formats used by WPMac 3.0-3.5.4, WPDOS 5.1, or WPDOS 6.x; these files can be opened in WordPerfect for Windows.

The converter was devised by the creator of this site; if you find it useful, please feel to make a contribution to the site.

Download the WP Converter inthis WP Converter.ZIP archive (32 MB). Extract the WP Converter and place it anywhere on your disk.

Supported versions of OS X/macOS: I have tested the WP Converter under OS X 10.6, 10.7, 10.8, 10.9, 10.10, 10.11,macOS 10.12 and 10.13.

You may convert one or more WP files by dropping them on the WP Converter, or you may double-click on the application and select a WP file to convert.

The exported files will be in the same folder with the original, with the same name as the original, but with an added .RTF, .DOC, or .PDF extension. If a file already exists with the same name, the newly-created copy will have a number at the end of the name, before the extension. By default, the program exports in .RTF format. Files exported in .DOC format use an older version of that format which may not be openable in many versions of Microsoft Word, so you are advised to export to the default .RTF format instead.

You may customize the WP Converter by changing its name, as described in the following paragraphs. You may give any name to the application, but the presence or absence of specific strings of letters in its name will control the way the program operates. For example, you can rename the program 'JustinBieber' and it will work exactly as it normally does; but if you rename it as 'Justin PDF Bieber' then it will export to .PDF format instead of the default .RTF format.

Change the default output format. By default the WP Converter exports files in .RTF format. To export to .DOC format, add the string 'DOC' to the name of the converter. To export to .PDF format, add the string 'PDF' to the name of the converter.

To use the Mac-based converter to convert all files, even those created by WPDOS or WPWin. The different conversion methods available in this application produce slightly different results. If you prefer to use the embedded copy of WPMac for converting files created by WPDOS or WPWin (in addition to using it for WPMac files), add the string 'AllMac' to the application name.

To use the DOS-based converter to convert all files, even those created by WPMac. The different conversion methods available in this application produce slightly different results. If you prefer to use the DOS-based ConvertPerfect or Word for Word converters for WPMac files (in addition to using them for WPDOS files), add the string 'NoMac' to the application name.

To convert WPMac documents to a different WP format. To convert files in WPMac format to a WP format that can be opened by WordPerfect for Windows, add any of these strings to the name of the converter: 'ToWP3' (exports to WPMac 3.0-3.5.4 format), 'ToWP51' (exports to WPDOS 5.1 format), or 'ToWP60' (exports to WPDOS 6.x format). (Note that this option may not be used with the 'NoMac' option described above.)

Display a brief help message. To display a help message, add 'Help' to the name of the application.

Troubleshooting. The procedure used by this application for converting WPMac files uses an embedded copy of WPMac running the SheepShaver emulator, with WPMac and SheepShaver controlled by AppleScripts. This is a complicated system; in case of difficulties, you may need to pause the operation to manipulate the SheepShaver setup. Add the string 'NoStart' to the converter name so that SheepShaver will open, but the conversion process will not begin automatically. To prevent SheepShaver from closing down after the conversion process, add the string 'NoQuit'. (If necessary, you may add both 'NoStart' and 'NoQuit'.) A bug in SheepShaver makes it impossible to edit the system's AppleScript; if you want to edit the AppleScript used by the system, add 'BII' to the application name, so that the system will temporarily use the BasiliskII emulator instead of SheepShaver.

Miscellaneous conversion software provided by this site

A few other OS X/macOS utilities created for this site (with download links) include:

WPViewer: An OS X/macOS utility for quickly viewing the content of WP files; only limited formatting is supported.

WPDtoODTConverter: An OS X/macOS utility for converting WP files into Open Document format for opening in LibreOffice or other purposes. Most formatting is supported.

WPtoClipboard: An OS X/macOS utility that copies the text of a WP file to the OS X/macOS clipboard. Use only for copying plain text.

Convert WPMac file that contain Japanese, Chinese, Korean, or other non-Roman scripts

Note: This section is obsolete! TheWPLO Converter can now convert WPMac files that contain Japanese and other East Asian scripts.

With the proper hardware and software, it is possible to convert WordPerfect for the Macintosh documents that contain Japanese, Chinese, Korean, or other non-Roman characters, into standard formats used by OS X/macOS and Windows applications. Some further information on the required Apple Language Kits may be found elsewhere on this site.

You will need a PowerPC Macintosh running OS X 10.4 ('Tiger') with Classic installed; the Classic system must have the appropriate Apple Language Kit installed from an OS X 9.2 installation CD. WordPerfect for the Mac 3.5 Enhanced should be installed in Classic. Earlier versions may not provide as smooth a transition.

  • Open the WPMac files in WPMac under Classic. Check whether all the non-Roman text displays correctly. If some non-Roman text does not display correctly, then copy your non-Roman fonts from your existing OS 7/8/9 setup into your Classic
    System Folder. Do not overwrite any existing font files! Only copy missing font files into the Classic System Folder.
  • When all your non-Roman fonts are displaying correctly in WPMac, choose Select All (or Cmd-A), then (using Cmd-C) copy the full text of the WP document to the clipboard.
  • Then (using Cmd-V) paste the full text into OS X's TextEdit or into iWork's Pages. Some formatting will be lost, but the full text should be copied without errors. In TextEdit, save the text in RTF format; in Pages, save the text in native format or DOC format.

You may also be able to paste the text directly into Word 2004 or 2008, but I have not tested this. You will not be able to paste the text directly from the clipboard into Word 2001, but you will be able to use Word 2001 to open and edit an RTF file saved from TextEdit with the complete text pasted from the WPMac file.

The method described here may work on a system running an earlier version of OS X (e.g. 10.2 or 10.3) but it will probably be less reliable, and I have not tested such systems.

It should be fairly simple to automate this process with an AppleScript, but I have not attempted it.

LibreOffice and other Mac-based word processors

The open-source word-processors listed below use various new and old version the 'libwpd' import filter for WordPerfect. This import filter can open almost all WordPerfect files and save them in Microsoft Word or RTF format. Open the WordPerfect file from the word-processor's File | Open menu, or by dragging the WordPerfect file to the word processor's icon in the dock. Save the file in Word format by using the word-processor's Save As.. menu, and select 'Microsoft Word 97/2000/XP' (or closely similar option) or 'RTF' as the format for saving.

The results of the 'libwpd' conversion may not be perfect; if so, you might try saving the file from LibreOffice in a different format (perhaps Microsoft Word 95), although you will usually get best results by saving in Word 97/2000/XP format.

Open-source word-processors that use the libwpd import filter include:

  • LibreOffice, by far the best choice for recent Macs; includes the latest of the libwpd import filter. This free office software suite includes the Writer word-processor. You may want to set the program's preferences so that Microsoft Word is the program's default file-saving format. To do so, start the program, open the Preferences menu (under the main OpenOffice.org top-line menu); in the left-hand pane, click on Load/Save, then (under Load/Save) choose General. In the General menu, find 'Warn when not saving in ODF or default format' and, if there is a checkmark next to it, remove the check mark. Then, under 'Document Type,' make sure that 'Text Document' is selected. Under 'Always Save As,' choose 'Microsoft Word 97/2000/XP.' Click OK.
  • OpenOffice.org, a distant second-choice to LibreOffice, as it uses an older and less effective version of the libwpd import filter; unlike LibreOffice, OpenOffice.org ignores WPG graphics in imported files. You may want to set the program's preferences so that Microsoft Word is the program's default file-saving format. To do so, start the program, open the Preferences menu (under the main OpenOffice.org top-line menu); in the left-hand pane, click on Load/Save, then (under Load/Save) choose General. In the General menu, find 'Warn when not saving in ODF or default format' and, if there is a checkmark next to it, remove the check mark. Then, under 'Document Type,' make sure that 'Text Document' is selected. Under 'Always Save As,' choose 'Microsoft Word 97/2000/XP.' Click OK.
  • NeoOffice (more Mac-native than LibreOffice or OpenOffice.org; works well with older Macs). Not recently tested by me.
  • AbiWord (not actively maintained for OS X, but perhaps suitable for older, low-powered Macs.) Not recently tested by me.

Alternatively, you may want to use smaller, faster standalone scripts that use an older version of the libwpd filter for converting WordPerfect files to RTF or HTML format. These scripts may be found onDerick Fay's web page.

Other Mac-based commercial conversion software

MacLinkPlus Deluxe (a commercial program, no longer available from its vendor Dataviz, and not usable under OS X 10.7 'Lion' or later) converts files from WPMac 2.0 through 3.5e formats to all standard word-processing formats. The results are reasonably good, although features such as line numbering are not supported; conversions to other Mac formats tend to be superior to conversions to Windows formats. Password-protected files cannot be opened. Older versions of MacLinkPlus (through version 11 at least) can open WPMac 1.0 files; the final version was version 16. You may be able to find a copy on eBay.

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A Step-by-step Tutorial of How to Convert RTF to PDF

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What is an RTF file? RTF (Rich Text Format) is a cross-platform document format developed by Microsoft Corporation that most word processing software can read and save. It can serve as an exchange format between word processing programs of different manufacturers on different operating systems. On the other hand, PDF (Portable Document Format) is a file format based on a page description language developed by Adobe. The specificity of PDF is to preserve the layout of a document - fonts, images, graphic objects, etc. - as defined by its author, regardless of the software, operating system and computer used to print or view it.

Therefore, converting an RTF file to PDF is necessary when we want to exchange and share documents without any format and element loosing. In this post, we'll show you how to convert RTF to PDF by using EasePDF RTF to PDF Online Converter, Adobe Acrobat, PDFMate, etc. Each of these solutions comes with a step-by-step demonstration that you'll pick it up right away.

Contents

Part 1. How to Convert RTF to PDF Online

Using an online RTF to PDF Converter is the best way to do the conversion work because in this way you'll be able to break the device limitation. EasePDF allows you to convert RTF to PDF online, no matter you're on a Mac, Windows or Linux computer, or a tablet and cellphone. EasePDF also supports bulk conversion, which makes multiple files converting much more efficient.

Step 1. Open RTF to PDF Converter on EasePDF homepage.

Step 2. Add your rich text format files. Click on the 'Add File(s)' button to access files on your device, choose your target RTF file(s) and it will be uploaded to the server. Or you can open an RTF file from your Google Drive and Dropbox cloud drive.

Step 3. Download the converted PDF document. The converter will automatically convert the RTF file you uploaded. When the conversion is done, there will be a download link. Click on the link icon and you can copy it to share with others. Or you can hit the 'Download' button to download the file to your local device. You can save it to your Google Drive and Dropbox as well.

Now you've finished converting RTF to PDF. Although PDF format will somehow reduce smaller the original format, for huge file conversion, the converted PDF file might still of big size. In this case, you can refer to a PDF Compressor to reduce file size. To protect the PDF, you can add a password online so that other people can't have access to your file without permission.

Other than online RTF to PDF converter, Google Docs is an excellent and easy choice for you to convert files online. The operating steps are almost the same as this article Change Word to PDF Using Google Docs mentioned.

Part 2. How to Convert RTF to PDF On Windows

Microsoft Office is the default program to open a rich text format document on Windows computers. We can easily convert RTF to PDF using the 'Save As' function or the 'Print to PDF' build-in on Microsoft Office. First of all, you need to open the RTF file you want to convert in Office by double-clicking on the document or choose 'Open' on the 'File' menu to access your files.

Option 1. Use the 'Save As' function

Step 1. Choose 'Save As' on the menu.

Step 2. Save RTF as PDF.

On the saving dialog, enter a name for your PDF file and choose 'PDF' on the 'Save as type' section. You can choose the converted file quality and size by setting the 'Optimize for' option. Choose 'Standard (publishing online and printing)' for ha high quality and bigger size PDF, and choose 'Minimum size (publishing online)' to have lower quality and smaller size PDF. To go to more advanced settings, you can click on the 'Options' tab. Finally, click the 'Save' button to save your RTF document as a PDF file.

Option 2. Use the 'Print to PDF' build-in

Step1. Go to the 'File' menu and select 'Print'. Or you can simply press the shortcut key 'Ctrl + P' on the keyboard.

Step 2. On the printing dialog, choose 'Microsoft Print to PDF' as the printer. To set the layout of the converted PDF, hit the 'Preference' button to open a new window. In here you can set the orientation and paper size. When you finish all the settings, press the 'Print' button.

A saving dialog will pop up. Select a storage destination and type a file name, then press the 'Save' button. Now you've had the RTF successfully saved as a PDF.

Part 3. How to Convert RTF to PDF on Mac

RTF is used by default in the Mac OS X TextEdit editor, in Windows WordPad, and the Ted word processor, running under Unix-like systems. On Mac computers, we can use TextEdit editor to easily convert an RTF file to PDF.

Step 1. Open the RTF file on Mac. TextEdit should be the default application to open an RTF file when your Mac computer doesn't have Microsoft Word program or other Word alike software installed. If not, put your mouse on the RTF file and right-click on it, then choose 'TextEdit' to open the file.

Step 2. Go to the 'File' menu on TextEdit top toolbar, select the 'Export As PDF' option on the drop-down menu.

Step 3. On the newly opened dialog, enter a file name for the converted PDF file, choose a location on your Mac computer to save it. Click the 'Show Details' button and the program will show a setting area. You can choose paper size and change page orientation here. If you would like to include the header and footer of the original RTF, just tick the 'Print header and footer' option.

And we suggest you select the 'Rewrap contents to fit page' option, just to make sure the converted PDF will preserve the best layout. When you finish all these settings, click the 'Save' button and TextEdit will save your RTF to PDF right away.

Bonus Tip: No matter you're using Mac or Windows, you can always use PDFelement as an alternative to convert RTF to PDF. PDFelement is a professional and practical PDF tool that helps users to edit, convert, merge, split, sign PDF documents with OCR support.

Part 4. Convert RTF to PDF On iPhone & iPad

There are many apps on Apple store that support converting RTF to PDF, Rich Text & File Manager is a representative. The Rich Text & File Manager app is an effective application for writing rich text and converting RTF to PDF, Images, HTML and so on. Its simple UI design allows you to navigate fast and get the converting task done within minutes.

Step 1. Open your RTF file on Rich Text & File Manager. This app can access files from Box, Dropbox, Google Drive, and Microsoft OneDrive.

Step 2. Tab the 'Convert to PDF' button on the screen, the app will start the conversion.

Step 3. Save converted files to local storage or cloud drives. You can also email the converted files.

Part 5. How to Convert RTF to PDF on Android

RTF File to PDF is a lightweight Android app designed for converting RTF file from your internal and external SD card, and even from your Dropbox to PDF effortlessly.

Step 1. Install and open RTF File to PDF app. Go to Google Play app store and search for RTF File to PDF, install it to your Android phone, then open the app.

Step 2. Upload your RTF file.

If the RTF file you want to convert is in your Android phone's device, select the 'Upload & Convert File' mode. Click the 'Upload File' button and the app will navigate you to the storage location. Select a file that has a .rtf extension name. Next, choose a page size for your converted PDF. You can choose page sizes from A4, A3, A5, Legal and Letter. Then choose the page orientation from portrait and landscape. Now click the 'Convert File' button to start the conversion.

Step 3. Download the created PDF.

The app will convert your RTF file to PDF immediately after you hit the convert button, you can see the progress bar in your interface. The processing time mostly depends on the file size, just wait a few minutes. A download link will appear when the conversion is done. You can save this converted PDF to your Dropbox or directly open it on your device by downloading it first.

You can also convert RTF files from your Dropbox, just choose the 'Convert a Dropbox File' mode when on step 1. The app will access to Dropbox for you to choose documents. And the rest steps are all the same. No matter you're an iOS or Android user, if you don't want to download any app on your cellphone, you can always use EasePDF Online RTF to PDF Converter as an alternative.

Part 6. How to convert RTF to Doc

Converting RTF to a .Doc Word document is much easier than converting to PDF. On most applications we mentioned above that can open an RTF file, like Google Docs, TextEdit (Mac), Microsoft Word, and WPS, just choose the 'Save As' or 'Export As' option, and select 'Microsoft Word' as the saving format. That's it, as simple as you can imagine.

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