What is the MIME type of .rtf files?
The MIME type (media type) for Rich Text Format files with the .rtf extension is application/rtf. You may also see text/rtf. Plain-text based formatting format readable by most word processors.
Content-Type header
Content-Type: application/rtfServer configuration
| Server | Configuration |
|---|---|
Nginx (mime.types or types {}) | application/rtf rtf; |
Apache (.htaccess) | AddType application/rtf .rtf |
IIS (web.config) | <mimeMap fileExtension=".rtf" mimeType="application/rtf" /> |
| Node.js / Express | res.type('rtf') or res.setHeader('Content-Type', 'application/rtf') |
| Amazon S3 | Set Content-Type: application/rtf on the object (metadata), or pass --content-type application/rtf to aws s3 cp |
Should .rtf files be compressed?
Yes. Rich Text Format is uncompressed data, so enabling gzip or Brotli for application/rtf typically saves 50–80 % of the transfer size. Make sure your server’s compression list includes this type — check with the website compression test.
Why the MIME type matters
Browsers decide what to do with a response — render, run, play or download — from the Content-Type header, not the file extension. With X-Content-Type-Options: nosniff, a wrong type causes stylesheets and scripts to be blocked outright. For uploads, never trust the type sent by the client; check the file’s content (its magic bytes) on the server.
Frequently asked questions
What is the MIME type for .rtf?
application/rtf. Alternatives seen in the wild: text/rtf.How do I set the Content-Type for .rtf in Nginx?
application/rtf rtf; is listed in the types block (usually in /etc/nginx/mime.types) and reload Nginx.