A .rtf file is a word processing document. RTF stands for “Rich Text Format”, and is a file format designed to make it easy to share word processing documents between different computer platforms. Most word processing applications are able to work with .rtf files.
Word is Just One Word Processor
When it comes to word processing, most people think of Microsoft Word and .doc files. Since both Word and the .doc format are so widespread, they have become synonymous with word processing. The fact is that Microsoft Word is just one word processor and .doc is just one word processing document format. There are other word processing applications around — Open Office.org’s Writer, for example.
With different people using different software (e.g. Word, Writer) and different operating systems (e.g. Windows, Mac OS X, Linux), there is bound to be confusion when it comes to sharing files. The Rich Text Format was designed to make sending word processing documents simple by eliminating the need to concern yourself with which software and operating system the recipient uses. Since a variety of office productivity software on many different operating systems are able to work with .rtf files, you can send one to someone who doesn’t use Word, or does not have Windows.
How to Open a .rtf File
Since most word processing applications can open .rtf files, you should not have much trouble viewing or editing one’s contents. Just click File → Open, navigate to your .rtf file, and open it. Some programs may prompt you about converting the file — once you do so, you should see the file’s contents.
