How to Open RTF Files on Android using cool apps
Many of us use our Android smartphones and tablets in place of our PCs as they are portable and easy to use. From creating and giving presentations to printing, you can do almost anything with your Android device. That being said, there are some things that you can’t do by default on Android which is why third party developers are constantly creating awesome apps.
If you create, edit or view a lot of documents, then I’m sure you have come across RTF files. While most word processing apps on computers can easily open RTF files, some Android devices might not be able to open these files. In this guide, I’ll show you how to open RTF files on Android easily.
Some Android smartphones and tablets come with built-in apps that support file formats like RTF, but if you can’t open RTF files on Android directly, then you can use one of the methods mentioned below in order to read RTF files on Android.
Method 1: AlReader
AlReader is a popular text reader that lets you read RTF files on Android. Aside from RTF, the app also supports other major text formats, such as DOC, DOCX and TXT. The app supports text to speech and network libraries. AlReader also brings 3D paging animation, text labelling, bookmarks and support for external dictionaries.
Step 1
Download and install AlReader on your Android tablet or smartphone. You can download the app through the Google Play Store button below.
Step 2
Make sure that the RTF file is stored on your Android smartphone or tablet. If the file is on your PC, transfer it to your Android device using a micro USB cable.
Step 3
Using any file manager, navigate to the folder where the RTF file is stored on your Android device and tap on it. AlReader should automatically open the file.
Step 4
Alternatively, you can also open the file by launching the AlReader app first. Open AlReader, tap on the Menu button in the top left corner and press Open Book. Press Open File, navigate to the folder where the RTF file is stored and tap on it. That’s it!
Method 2: Cool Reader
Another popular app that lets you open RTF files on Android is Cool Reader. The app brings various useful features such as text search, bookmarks, text to speech, table of contents, hyphenation dictionaries and support for online catalogs.
The app doesn’t only let you open RTF files on Android, but it also supports other formats including DOC, TXT and HTML. Cool Reader also supports additional fonts and two different profiles.
Step 1
Download and install Cool Reader on your Android smartphone or tablet. You can get it through the Google Play Store button below.
Step 2
Make sure that you have the RTF file stored on your Android device. If the file is on your PC, then transfer it to your Android device using a micro USB cable.
Step 3
Navigate to the folder where the RTF file is stored on your Android device using any file manager and tap on it. Cool Reader should open it. On my phone, Cool Reader didn’t open the file directly which was weird. The file opened easily after opening the Cool Reader app first. If the app didn’t open your RTF file directly, then you can follow Step 4 in order to open it manually from the Cool Reader app.
Step 4
Launch the Cool Reader app and tap on the icon below Browse file system. Navigate to the folder where the RTF file is stored on your Android device and tap on it. Cool Reader will now open the file. That’s it!
Conclusion
Android operating system might not be able to open all major document and ebook file formats by default, but once you get the right third party apps, you will be able to open all your favorite file formats.
RTF is a popular file format and if you’re annoyed because your Android device can’t open it, then you don’t need to worry as the apps mentioned above should work with your phone or tablet. Follow all the instructions properly and if you have any questions, feel free to ask them in the comments area below.
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Cheers.
If I get an attachment that’s an .rtf file, and attempt to open it from my email, should the Android open either of the above apps to read it. It will be a pain if I have to save the file, open the app, then open the file.
Hi Steve,
Word or Google Docs should open it without any problems. Once you have opened it, even if you need to save it first, it should give you an option to select an app. Choose always and it should always use that app to open it, from the mail, in the future. Hope this helps. Thanks for commenting. =-)
It doesn’t work if rtf file contains images,
There ugly aoo office. This one works.
Hi Justin,
Thanks for your feedback and I am glad that you were able to open all the other files. =-)
i tried both rtf apps mentioned above and could not get either to work.
my daughter is 8 and her teacher sent the lines for her school play in rtf format to the phone app all parents share.
i could not save the rtf to my device so neither app listed above would open the book and i could not gain access to my daughter’s lines for the school play.
is there any app that will open an rtf without downloading it first?