rtfparse
Tool to parse Microsoft Rich Text Format (RTF)
Decision gist · record as of 2026-08-14
Yes, if you need to extract HTML from Outlook emails or parse RTF documents. The library is stable (Production/Stable classifier), has no known vulnerabilities, and low install friction. However, maintenance is aging—the last release was over a year ago—so consider whether you need active support or can tolerate a stable but slowly-evolving codebase.AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying
Before you install
- Requires Python 3.10 or later.
- Low friction: pure Python wheel with four runtime dependencies (argcomplete, compressed-rtf, extract-msg, provide-dir).
- Maintenance status is aging—last release was 402 days ago, though the repository remains active with a recent commit on 2025-09-10.
License · maintenance · safety
MIT (permissive) — MIT license permits commercial and private use with minimal restrictions; you must include a copy of the license and copyright notice in distributions.
last release 2025-07-08 (402 days) · last repo commit 2025-09-10 · 20 stars
0 known vulnerabilities (OSV.dev, 2026-08-14) · 307,054 downloads/mo, #7,781 on PyPI
Alternatives
Verify before relying
pip install rtfparse
from rtfparse.parser import Rtf_Parser
from rtfparse.renderers.html_decapsulator import HTML_Decapsulator
parser = Rtf_Parser(rtf_path="document.rtf")
parsed = parser.parse_file()
renderer = HTML_Decapsulator()
with open("output.html", "w") as f:
renderer.render(parsed, f)- Whether the HTML_Decapsulator renderer handles all RTF variants and edge cases reliably in production.
- Performance characteristics when parsing large or complex RTF documents.
- Whether custom renderers beyond HTML_Decapsulator are documented or supported.
What it is and what it does
rtfparse is a Python library that reads Microsoft RTF documents and builds an in-memory object tree representing their structure. It then passes that tree to a renderer—currently only HTML_Decapsulator is provided, which extracts HTML that has been embedded within RTF (a common pattern in Outlook email messages). The library also handles RTF decompression, which Outlook uses to reduce file size.
You can use it as a command-line tool or import it into your own Python code. The CLI writes logs to ~/rtfparse/ and supports workflows like extracting HTML from .msg files, decompressing RTF, and saving attachments. The library depends on extract-msg to read Outlook message files and compressed-rtf to decompress them when needed.
Use it for
- Extract HTML content from RTF-formatted email messages saved by Microsoft Outlook.
- Decompress RTF files that have been compressed by Outlook or other Microsoft applications.
- Parse RTF documents programmatically and render them to HTML for web display or archival.
- Batch-process .msg files to recover embedded HTML and attachments from email archives.
- Build custom renderers for RTF documents by extending the parser's tree structure.
Worth the install?
AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page. Verify before relying on it.
Yes, if you need to extract HTML from Outlook emails or parse RTF documents.
The library is stable (Production/Stable classifier), has no known vulnerabilities, and low install friction. However, maintenance is aging—the last release was over a year ago—so consider whether you need active support or can tolerate a stable but slowly-evolving codebase.
Install
rtfparse on PyPI
Before you install
Low friction: pure Python wheel with four runtime dependencies (argcomplete, compressed-rtf, extract-msg, provide-dir). Maintenance status is aging—last release was 402 days ago, though the repository remains active with a recent commit on 2025-09-10.
Requires Python 3.10 or later.
License in practice
MIT license permits commercial and private use with minimal restrictions; you must include a copy of the license and copyright notice in distributions.
Quickstart
pip install rtfparse
from rtfparse.parser import Rtf_Parser
from rtfparse.renderers.html_decapsulator import HTML_Decapsulator
parser = Rtf_Parser(rtf_path="document.rtf")
parsed = parser.parse_file()
renderer = HTML_Decapsulator()
with open("output.html", "w") as f:
renderer.render(parsed, f)Verify before relying
- Whether the HTML_Decapsulator renderer handles all RTF variants and edge cases reliably in production.
- Performance characteristics when parsing large or complex RTF documents.
- Whether custom renderers beyond HTML_Decapsulator are documented or supported.
Package facts
| License | MIT permissive |
| Python support | Supports the current Python release >=3.10 |
| Install friction | Low. Pure-Python wheel |
| Runtime dependencies | 4 packagesargcompletecompressed-rtfextract-msgprovide-dir |
| Maintenance | Aging 402 days since the last release |
| Last repo commit | |
| First released | |
| Downloads | 307,054 / month, #7,781 on PyPI 30-day window, as of 2026-08-14 |
| Known vulnerabilities | None known OSV.dev, checked 2026-08-14 |
| Classifiers | Development Status :: 5 - Production/StableEnvironment :: ConsoleIntended Audience :: DevelopersNatural Language :: EnglishOperating System :: MacOS :: MacOS XOperating System :: Microsoft :: WindowsOperating System :: OS IndependentOperating System :: POSIX :: LinuxProgramming Language :: Python :: 3.10Programming Language :: Python :: 3.11Topic :: Software Development :: TestingTopic :: Utilities |
Evidence: rtfparse-0.9.5-py3-none-any.whl
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See also compressed-rtf · RTFDE · PyRTF3 · extract-msg · striprtf · msg-parser · rich-text-renderer · tnefparse · python-oxmsg · rich-rst