
If you prefer that RTF files open with a different app than the one currently set as the default, that’s easy enough. Note: While there’s not a built-in RTF editor in most Linux distros, you can certainly install something like LibreOffice. For example, even on a fresh install of Windows, double-clicking an RTF file opens it right up in WordPad.

And unless you’ve installed something else (like Microsoft Word), those apps will be the default for opening RTF files. In Mac, you can use Apple TextEdit or Apple Pages. Google Docs does let you edit RTF files, though.Īnd most operating systems have a built-in editor that can open RTF files.

Most file syncing services-like Dropbox, OneDrive, and Google Drive-have built-in viewers that let you at least read an RTF file, even if you can’t edit it there. To start with, if you have any word processing apps installed-Microsoft Word, LibreOffice, OpenOffice, AbiWord, and so on-you can open an RTF file with it. You almost certainly have an app already built-in or installed on your system for opening RTF files.
