RTF to PDF
Almost any word processor, from Word to WordPad and TextEdit, can save a document as RTF. This tool turns that file into a PDF that opens the same way for everyone, so it is ready to send, print or attach, and the work is done on your own device rather than on a server.
How to use it
- Pick an RTF file, or several at once (TeddyPDF handles up to 5 files at a time for free), or drop them onto the box.
- On your first visit the converter has to download, which is about 78 MB. On later visits it is ready almost at once.
- Save the PDFs one by one, or grab them all in a single ZIP file.
What ends up in the PDF
Your text arrives with its headings, lists, tables, pictures, footnotes, page numbers, headers and footers, arranged according to the settings in the document. Because the words remain genuine text rather than a picture, you can search the PDF and copy from it. Tracked changes appear in marked-up form, with new words underlined and removed words crossed out but still readable, so accept or reject them beforehand if you want a tidy version. Comments are dropped.
The converter does not go and fetch or refresh anything the document points to. A picture that lives only somewhere else, such as on a web page, will be missing. Linked objects and inserted text show whatever copy was stored inside the file, and that copy could be old. A document locked against editing still converts normally, and no password is needed.
About the converter and its download
The work is done by LibreOffice, the popular free office suite, running within your browser. It handles RTF files from Word and other programs well, although a few features that only Word offers may look different. If a font is not available to the converter, a similar one is used instead, and that can shift the layout. The converter is fetched from this website first, then the page shuts off its own internet access before your file is opened, so the document has no way to leave your device, even by accident.
The download is a complete document engine of roughly 78 MB, the same one behind Word to PDF, Excel to PDF, PowerPoint to PDF and ODT to PDF. Browsers usually hold on to it, which makes later conversions much quicker, but a browser may delete it to free up room. A Wi-Fi connection is a good idea. It is built for computers: on a phone it can run slowly or stop, and phones can only take files up to 10 MB.
Questions and answers
What exactly is an RTF file?
Rich Text Format is an old and widely supported document type that nearly every word processor can read and write. It holds formatting, tables and pictures, and other systems often use it when they export letters or forms.
Do comments and tracked changes carry over?
Comments are not carried over. Tracked changes do appear, in marked-up form, with additions underlined and deletions crossed out.
Why does the first conversion take a while?
On that first run your browser has to fetch the converter, which is roughly 78 MB. It is normally kept afterwards, so later files take only a few seconds.
Does TeddyPDF upload my file?
No. Your browser does all the work, on your own device. Before it opens your file, this page shuts off its own ability to send or fetch anything, and your browser holds it to that. Once the software a tool needs has loaded and the privacy lock is on, the work carries on even with your Wi-Fi off. How the lock works.