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How to convert RTF to DOCX on a Mac
By Himanshu Ranjan · Updated 8 November 2026
Select the .rtf files in Finder, open FileDial and choose Convert › Convert to Word (DOCX). Each file gets a new DOCX beside the original, which is left alone. It runs offline on your Mac and works on many files at once.
Why people convert RTF
RTF was created by Microsoft Word developers in the 1980s and first shipped in 1987 with Word 3.0 for Macintosh. Its last version, 1.9.1, dates from March 2008, and Microsoft has stopped adding features, so newer Word features do not save to RTF. TextEdit still defaults to RTF on a Mac, which is why so many Mac users end up with a folder full of them.
The usual reason to convert is hand-off: a colleague, a form, a university portal or a printer asks for a Word file. DOCX keeps styles, tables and images in a form every modern office suite expects.
Steps in FileDial
The tool is Convert › Convert to Word (DOCX), and the note is short: new copy beside the original. There are no options, which suits RTF, where there is little to configure.
- Select one or more .rtf files in Finder.
- Hold the right Option key to open the dial, or right-click and choose Open in FileDial.
- Choose Convert, then Convert to Word (DOCX).
- Open a result to check fonts and spacing. The result card lists each new file and its size.
What to expect in the result
RTF stores formatting as control words in plain text, and different RTF versions can produce different results in different apps. Expect headings, bold, italics, lists and basic tables to survive. Check embedded images and unusual fonts. If the DOCX will be printed or signed, run To PDF › Convert to PDF afterwards so the layout is frozen.
Going the other way is also possible: Convert › Convert to RTF makes RTF copies of other document types, and Convert › Convert to plain text strips everything to text.
Built-in alternative
TextEdit can save as Word: open the RTF, choose File > Save, and pick Word 2007 (.docx) in the file format menu if it is offered in your version. Pages also opens RTF and exports Word through File > Export To > Word. Both are good for one document.
The cost is the repetition. Ten RTF notes means ten sequences of open, export, name, save. A batch tool does the ten in one go.
RTF, DOCX and plain text: which one to keep
Choosing the target format avoids a second conversion. RTF is simple and readable by nearly everything, but it has had no new features since 2008. DOCX is what offices, portals and other writers expect. Plain text is for when formatting is noise. If you are unsure, convert to DOCX and keep the RTF.
Two practical notes. DOCX files are ZIP packages of XML, which is why they open reliably in Pages, Word and LibreOffice. And TextEdit's default format on a Mac is RTF, so folders of notes written in it are common.
- Need to edit with others: DOCX
- Need to print or sign: DOCX then To PDF › Convert to PDF
- Need only the words: Convert › Convert to plain text
- Need a web page: Convert › Convert to HTML
Batch tips for a folder of notes
Name collisions are rare because each DOCX takes the original name with a new extension, but make sure the folder is not set to show only one type. After conversion, sort by kind in Finder to separate the two sets, and move the RTFs into a subfolder if you want to tidy up. If the notes need consistent names first, Rename › Replace text in names… cleans a shared phrase and leaves extensions alone.
Common mistakes and when FileDial fits
FileDial is the right tool for a folder of RTF files, or when you want the result saved beside each original without opening anything. If you have a single document and TextEdit or Pages is already open, using that is just as quick, and you can see the result before saving.
Where it falls short: RTF files with unusual embedded objects, or very old RTFs from other systems, may convert imperfectly, and no batch tool can promise otherwise. Convert one representative file first. If it looks right, run the folder. If it does not, the likely cause is the source file, so open it in Word or Pages and fix it there before converting again.
The usual mistake is converting and then deleting the RTF before opening the result. Open at least one DOCX first. Another is assuming fonts travel: a typeface used in the RTF that is not installed on the receiving computer is replaced, and spacing changes with it. If the look matters, send a PDF made with To PDF › Convert to PDF as well. A third mistake is converting a file that is really plain text with an .rtf name, which will work but gives you nothing new.
If you will keep editing in Word, remember that styles from RTF arrive as direct formatting, so a heading may be bold large text rather than a real Heading style. Applying proper styles after conversion makes tables of contents work.
Questions
Does DOCX keep the formatting from my RTF?
Basic formatting such as headings, bold, italics, lists and simple tables normally carries over. RTF versions differ between apps, so open one result and check it before converting a large folder. Unusual fonts and embedded images are the usual places for small differences.
Will my original RTF files be changed?
No. FileDial writes a new DOCX beside each RTF and leaves the original untouched. Every result also has Undo. That means you can convert a whole folder, compare a few files, and still return to the exact originals if something looks wrong.
Is it safe to use an online RTF converter instead?
Online converters need you to upload the file, which means trusting a site with the contents. The FBI Denver Field Office warned in March 2025 that free online converters are increasingly used to spread malware. FileDial converts on your Mac, so nothing is uploaded and it works offline.