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.rtf files now have become .rtfd files and won't open

jada r.

here is the problem which has just begun recently. I have an iMac and iPad and iPod and now .rtf files now have suddenly changed into .rtfd files and won't open. I think it is only .rtf files which have images embedded. Can't find any help although i discovered if i go through one at a time and RENAME them back to .rtf , it becomesTWO files. Is doing this the only way to get back the textEdit files which used to open without trouble?

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mr_bart

TextEdit can read both RTF and RTFD files so I might be unclear what the problem is.

If it's that you cannot open files that you manually renamed .rtf from .rtfd, simply undo your changes and restore the .rtfd extension and the files should open as expected in TextEdit.

RTF files do not support embedded images, so if you have files created as RTF and then later embed images, they are going to convert to RTFD file types; usually TextEdit will give you warning that it is doing this.

Dropbox does not have the capability to preview RTFD file types so you won't be able to see RTFD files on the website or inside the Dropbox iOS app.

jada r.

thanks tom. It wasn't because i was changing the file endings but, rather, that suddenly i was unable to view files i thought i had previously been able to read on Dropbox.

I wasn't aware that, when textedit would give me the warning you referred to, a text would become unreadable in Dropbox-- so i usually just went ahead and agreed to the change. Now, however, arrives yet another time consuming thing i will have to go back and fix! But, at least, thanks to you, i will be aware in the future.

I did discover that i could change the .rtfd into .rtf endings manually in the dropbox folder (once in the online version of Dropbox) which caused the images to separate from the text. The 'images' (often just fancy font implants) seem, then, mostly pretty much unusable but, sometimes, the images are really not critical so it won't matter.

again..thanks..and i hope Dropbox will have some way to fix it in the future.

Rav N.

When you add any image(s) into .rtf file, it becomes .rtfd. Unfortunately .rtfd file is MacOS X's proprietary format and no other OS can understand this format. rtfd is Mac based "Package" file that self-contains text and image into one file. Only .rtf file is cross-platform but .rtf cannot contain images. The solution is to use Word file. In this way, any platforms can understand it including Dropbox app on your iPhone or other mobile OS. On top of that Word file can contain images and it's still legible by all platforms. To convert .rtfd file to Word, open .rtfd file, select all contents from the .rtfd and paste them into Word document.

Gregg T.

"don't use rtfd" is not a solution. It USED to work in dropbox and they changed something.

rtfd is a meta-format that creates a directory (folder) and keeps the images and rich text in that directory instead of using a single file to house both. On the Mac, this directory looks like a single file (called a "Package") for user convenience.

In fact, rtfd DOES still work for some files, so they broke something recently which neglects to save the files inside the directory.

Martina W.4

Please, Dropbox, can you make .rtfd files readable in Dropbox on iPad and iPhone? It is really annoying that I can't open these files when I need them the most - i.e. underway. It is such a useful way to have text and embedded files on one page, for example a snippet from a web page with my text added. Just what one needs when travelling and needs these files as reference!

Ric S.

Couldn't agee more, Martina. RTFD is a native file format, and used to work perfectly in Dropbox. Now, most of my DB files are unreadable on my iOS devices. Inexcusable.

Diane K.15

I agree, having the same problem with hundreds of these files. Inexcusable!!

JaapN

I have the same issue with .rtf files since a couple of months. Some older files will preview but most will not. A new rtf file created in MAC text editor cannot be previewed in Dropbox.

Either Apple has changed something in text editor (unlikely since I notice similar complaints about rtf in Android) or Dropbox itself has made a change (more likely).

In any case I have had to move a swathe of rtf files to another environment so I can preview them in IOS.

Diane K.15

What are you using to open the rtf files on your device?

JaapN

On IOS I only use the preview function of dropbox, whatever editing i do is all done on my mac.

Diane K.15

I do the same. You aren't able to see the rtf files in Preview on ios, right?
So the files are unusable on your phone?

JaapN

Correct, can't preview most rtf files anymore on iphone and ipad.

jackmo

I'm having the same problem. It has really caused a problem. I have 418 files I'll need to copy and paste into other files? Dropbox might be on its way out....

JaapN

Agree, I moved all my rtf files to a different app. This has been going on for some months and it's stunning that dropbox has not responded in any shape or form.

Diane K.15

I e-mailed them a few weeks ago and sent them sample files. They are supposedly working on it.

Diane K.15

What app are you using? I have been able to export the file using Notes, and then screenshot and save as a jpg file. I have hundreds of files though, so a total pita! If they come up with a solution I will post it here.

JaapN

I moved all my rtf files to an app called box. It does't have a preview pane like the one in dropbox, but it opens the files in a full screen preview and works fine.

Macsuga

You can read the rtd part on google drive. DB should add the same feature

JavierBR

Try to donwload the file and name it adding .tar. File.rtfd.tar