CONVERT
RTF → OPML
Tap to choose your fileDRAG. DROP. DONE.
Upload any file and our engines will handle format detection automatically.
Max 25 MB · Free plan · No signup required
Convert to:
Detecting available formats...
Optimize for
Leave empty to use original name. Extension added automatically.
Uploading...
Processing your file...
Fast, secure RTF to OPML conversion. No registration required.
Here is the short version — RTF is the 1987-era Rich Text Format, Microsoft's plain-ASCII document interchange format. Hence the need for OPML. Converting RTF to OPML online saves installing office suites you use once a year. Upload the document, let the server render it through the same pipeline large publishers use, and download a polished OPML that keeps its original structure and typography. One more beat. RTF is the 1987-era Rich Text Format, Microsoft's plain-ASCII document interchange format. Receiving format: OPML is a document format oriented around a particular office suite or publishing pipeline.
Rich Text Format
Source formatRTF is a cross-platform document format that supports basic text formatting like bold, italic, fonts, and colors. It is readable by virtually all word processors, making it useful for maximum compatibility.
OPML Outline
Target formatOPML (Outline Processor Markup Language) is an XML format for structured outlines and lists. It is most widely used for exchanging RSS feed subscription lists between podcast apps and feed readers, and for hierarchical note-taking.
Why convert RTF to OPML
The driver for a RTF to OPML conversion is almost always the downstream audience: the editor, archivist, signer or reader who expects a OPML. Doing the conversion in a proper rendering pipeline, rather than hoping the receiving tool will figure it out, avoids layout drift and font substitutions.
HOW TO CONVERT
RTF → OPML
Provide the document
Select a RTF file. Very large documents (100+ pages) may take a few extra seconds to render completely.
Render to OPML
LibreOffice plus supporting filters translate the RTF into a fully-formed OPML with no structural drift.
Save the result
The converted OPML streams back over HTTPS; open in the target application to verify formatting.
Common Use Cases
Share across platforms
Send OPML files to anyone without worrying about whether they have the right software for RTF.
Embed in documents
Drop OPML output into Word, Google Docs, PowerPoint, Notion or a website without conversion warnings.
Optimize size
OPML often produces smaller files than RTF for web, email and storage.
Archive & future-proof
Store in a widely-supported format that will still open on future operating systems without legacy plugins.
RTF vs OPML — Strengths and limitations
What each format does best, and where it falls short.
RTF Strengths
- Plain ASCII — portable, grep-able, and diff-friendly.
- Supported by every word processor on every OS since 1990.
- Cannot carry macros or embedded code — relatively safe to open.
- Simple enough to parse by hand or generate with a small script.
- Good interchange format when DOCX compatibility is shaky.
Limitations
- Frozen in 2008 — no modern features (no comments, poor styles, no track changes).
- File sizes are bigger than DOCX for the same content (no compression).
- Images are base64-encoded inline, inflating files further.
OPML Strengths
- Standard RSS subscription interchange format.
- Simple XML — easy to parse and generate.
- Highly extensible via arbitrary attributes.
- Supported by every major outline and RSS tool.
Limitations
- XML verbosity — larger than a JSON-based equivalent.
- Specification is loose — different tools disagree on edge cases.
- Primary use (RSS reading) has shrunk dramatically since Google Reader.
RTF vs OPML — Technical specifications
Side-by-side comparison of the technical details.
RTF
- MIME type
- application/rtf
- Extensions
- .rtf
- Standard
- RTF Specification 1.9.1 (2008)
- Character set
- ASCII with Unicode escapes (\u)
OPML
- MIME type
- text/x-opml
- Standard
- OPML 2.0 (2006)
- Extension
- .opml
- Format
- XML with nested <outline> elements
- Primary use
- RSS subscription interchange
| Specification | RTF | OPML |
|---|---|---|
| MIME type | application/rtf | text/x-opml |
| Extensions | .rtf | — |
| Standard | RTF Specification 1.9.1 (2008) | OPML 2.0 (2006) |
| Character set | ASCII with Unicode escapes (\u) | — |
| Extension | — | .opml |
| Format | — | XML with nested <outline> elements |
| Primary use | — | RSS subscription interchange |
RTF vs OPML — Typical file sizes
Approximate file sizes for common scenarios.
RTF
- Short formatted letter 15-50 KB
- 20-page report with styling 150 KB - 1 MB
- Document with embedded images 2-20 MB
OPML
- Typical RSS reader export (50 feeds) 5-30 KB
- Deep outline (Scrivener novel plan) 20-200 KB
Quality & Compatibility
The conversion preserves document structure rather than pixel-perfect rendering: a paragraph in RTF is a paragraph in OPML, not a bitmap snapshot. That means you can still edit and search the OPML. If you need exact visual fidelity (for legal or print workflows), export to PDF as the final step.
Tips for Best Results
- Run a spell-check in the OPML after conversion — occasionally hyphenation or language tagging shifts and typos become invisible to the original checker.
- Include fallback generic fonts (sans-serif, serif) in your style definitions so the OPML degrades gracefully when a font is missing on a viewer device.
- For archive-quality output, export to PDF/A after converting to OPML; this locks the document against future rendering drift.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, as long as the fonts are standard (system fonts or common office fonts like Arial, Calibri, Times, Helvetica). Custom corporate fonts survive if they are embedded in the source document; otherwise the conversion substitutes the closest available match, which can shift line breaks by a character or two.
Yes. Inline images are embedded into the OPML at full resolution, editable tables become native OPML tables, and hyperlinks keep their URLs. Complex features unique to RTF — macros, form fields, track-changes — are mapped where an equivalent exists in OPML and flattened into static content otherwise.
All uploads go over TLS, files are processed in isolated containers and both the source and the output are deleted within two hours. No account is required, file contents are never indexed or used for training, and the paid plan adds a signable data-processing agreement for regulated workflows.
Related comparisons
See these formats side by side to understand which fits your use case best.
Related Guides
RTF Rich Text Format: The Complete Technical Guide
Everything about RTF: file structure, control words, groups, character and paragraph formatting, compatibility across Word/LibreOffice/Google Docs, and how to convert RTF files.
Read guideRTF Format: Rich Text Format Document Guide — Structure, Compatibility & Conversion
Learn what RTF files are, how Rich Text Format stores formatted text, why it remains a universal document standard, and how to convert RTF to DOCX, PDF, or ODT.
Read guideRTF Files: Rich Text Format — History, Syntax, and Conversion Guide
Complete guide to RTF (Rich Text Format) files — syntax and control words, encoding, application support, Python/Pandoc conversion to DOCX/PDF/HTML/Markdown, embedded images, and RTF vs DOCX comparison.
Read guideSecure & Private Conversion
Your files are encrypted during transfer, processed in isolated containers, and automatically deleted within 60 minutes. We never read, share, or store your data.