---
title: RTF
slug: Glossary/RTF
tags:
  - Composing
  - Format
  - Glossary
  - RTF
  - Rich Text Format
---
RTF (Rich Text Format) is a plain-text-based file format with support for formatting instructions (like bold or italic).

Three programmers in the Microsoft Word team created RTF in the 1980s, and Microsoft continued to develop the format until 2008. However, many word-processing programs can still read and write RTF.

## See also

- {{Interwiki("wikipedia", "Rich Text Format")}} on Wikipedia
- [final specification from Microsoft](https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=10725)
