Extract text from Archived rich text documents (RTA)
To convert RTA documents to another format, you need iA Writer or other Text software.
To convert other file formats to the "Mac Word Processor Document" file type, you need software like iA Writer or a similar tool.
The .RTA file format primarily functions as an Archived Rich Text Document. Originally popularized by the discontinued Bean word processor for macOS, it is also utilized by modern writing tools like iA Writer. Under the hood, these files are structured using the macOS plist (property list) format. This allows the document to bundle standard text formatting with embedded images and metadata into a single archive.
However, the .RTA extension is extremely fragmented across entirely unrelated industries. Beyond text documents, a significant portion of .RTA files are ECDIS Voyage Route files. These are used by maritime navigation hardware, specifically the JRC ECDIS systems, to store ship voyage plans. Additionally, the extension is used for satellite receiver firmware updates by ALI Corp and Renesas, executable files for the eForce Real-Time Operating System, and real-time animation data in the Carmageddon and Resident Evil game series.
The main disadvantage of the .RTA text format is its lack of cross-platform compatibility. Windows and Linux operating systems lack native software to read macOS plist rich text archives. Likewise, maritime ECDIS route files are closed, proprietary binary formats that require specialized plotting software to interpret. You cannot open these files outside of their specific hardware ecosystem without viewing scrambled data.
To share an .RTA document with non-Mac users, it is highly recommended to convert it to standard formats like PDF, DOCX, or RTF. For ECDIS route files, users typically seek to convert them into standard GPS formats like GPX or KML for viewing on modern digital maps, though direct conversion requires specialized tools.
Because of this extreme fragmentation, standard online converters often fail or misinterpret the file type entirely. If our analysis detects the text-based plist structure or embedded data, viewing or conversion may still be possible.
Convert.Guru analyzes your RTA file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted RTM, CY, NID and EBT files.
If you want to convert RTA file to MP3, WAV, AAC, FLAC, OGG, WMA, M4A, AIFF, OPUS, ALAC, APE or WV, you can use iA Writer or similar software from the "Archived Rich Text Document" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert MIDI, AAC, TTA, AU, WV, DTS, MID, FLAC, RA, MP3, PCM or WAV files to RTA, try iA Writer or another comparable tool in the "Archived Rich Text Document" category.
The history of Convert.Guru began over 25 years ago in California with Tom Simondi’s file-format database. A former contributor to Space Shuttle development and a software pioneer of the 1980s, Simondi established a trusted resource for file type analysis that was even referenced by Microsoft Windows XP. Today, we use modern technology to process and convert thousands of file formats while continually improving our RTA converter.