How do XLS and RTFcompare? Here's everything you need to know to choose the right format — and how to convert between them.
Microsoft Excel Spreadsheet (Legacy)
XLS is the legacy binary format used by Microsoft Excel before 2007. While superseded by XLSX, many existing spreadsheets and enterprise systems still use this format.
Rich Text Format
RTF is a cross-platform document format that supports basic formatting like bold, italic, fonts, and colors. It's a universal middle ground between plain text and full document formats.
| Specification | XLS | RTF |
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Microsoft Excel Spreadsheet (Legacy) | Rich Text Format |
| Extension | .xls | .rtf |
| MIME type | application/vnd.ms-excel | application/rtf |
| Category | Document | Document |
| Developer | Microsoft | Microsoft |
| Year introduced | 1987 | 1987 |
XLS and RTF serve different purposes. XLS is ideal for legacy spreadsheet compatibility, while RTF excels at cross-platform document sharing.
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