Save a plain-text file in Mac TextEdit instead of renaming an RTF document
By ON Lab · Sources checked November 8, 2026
In TextEdit on Mac, change the document itself to plain text with Format → Make Plain Text, then save it. Renaming a rich-text file to end in .txt is not the same operation. If you want new documents to start as plain text, change the New Document format in TextEdit Settings separately.
The original reader wanted a plain-text file but found that the save dialog offered rich-text and other document formats instead. Apple's current guide separates document conversion from the default for future documents. This article explains those two controls and a way to inspect the saved result. We checked the documentation; we did not run a local TextEdit conversion or open a reader's file.
Preserve a formatted original before converting it
Plain text does not preserve rich-text styles and formatting. Apple explicitly notes that converting a rich-text document to plain text removes that formatting and saves the document as a text file. If the original contains formatting you need, retain a separate copy first.
For an existing document, decide which result you need:
| Goal | Action to inspect | Do not substitute |
|---|---|---|
| Make this document a plain-text file | Format → Make Plain Text | Only changing the filename suffix |
| Keep the formatted document and make a text copy | A separate saved copy, followed by conversion | Overwriting the only original |
| Start future documents in plain text | TextEdit Settings → New Document → Plain text | Assuming this converts every open document |
| Keep rich formatting | Retain a suitable rich-text document | Expecting .txt to retain the same layout |
Apple documents an additional copy route: hold Option while opening the File menu and choose Save As. Use a new, recognizable name and location. The important review point is that you know which copy is being converted and still have the original you meant to preserve.
Convert the current document
- Open the intended document in TextEdit.
- Confirm that you are working on the copy if you need to retain a formatted original.
- Choose Format → Make Plain Text.
- Read any conversion prompt and confirm only when losing the rich formatting is intended.
- Use File → Save, review the complete name and location, and save the text copy.
If the Format menu instead offers Make Rich Text, you are looking at the reverse conversion option. Read the current document state rather than repeatedly looking for a missing plain-text item. The two format commands are not two file extensions that must both be appended to a name.
This guide does not recommend editing an RTF file's suffix in Finder as a conversion technique. A file's name and its stored content serve different purposes. Review the application's actual format operation, then inspect the saved copy.
Set the default for future documents
If most new files should be plain text, open TextEdit → Settings → New Document and select Plain text under Format. Apple's guide describes this as a default for new documents.
Test that preference with a new document rather than using an already open rich-text file as the test. Write a short harmless sentence, inspect the Format menu, save it under a new name, and reopen it. This is a recommended verification workflow, not a claim that we performed it on your Mac.
If you also use TextEdit for formatted letters or notes, keep in mind what changing that new-document default means for your next file. You can still choose the appropriate format deliberately for a document; the default is a convenience, not a requirement that all documents use the same representation.
Check the saved copy, not just the dialog
- Read the complete filename and confirm it is the intended text copy.
- Confirm the actual folder or cloud location so you reopen the same file.
- Close and reopen that saved copy in TextEdit.
- Compare the full text with the source: first and last lines, paragraph breaks and any non-English characters that matter.
- If another application will consume the file, open the copy there too and verify its requirements.
Accepting a save command does not prove that a receiving program will parse a file correctly. Plain text is a document representation, not a guarantee about a program's expected syntax, delimiters or encoding. If the target program rejects the copy, preserve the exact message and its file requirements instead of changing several save settings at random.
Keep HTML editing as a separate task
TextEdit can also edit or display HTML. A document that renders as a webpage and a plain-text document are not the same task. If you need HTML source editing, use Apple's HTML-specific guidance rather than assuming that this plain-text saving procedure covers every HTML open-and-save option.
The useful completion test here is narrower: a saved text copy contains the intended characters, the original formatted document remains available when needed, and the new-document preference behaves as intended. No document recovery, lost-format restoration or downstream code execution is claimed.