YagyaShree’s Free SharePoint Information Blog

unable to search content inside *.RTF [Rich Text Files]

Posted in Apr 2009 by yagyashree on April 3, 2009

ISSUE DESCRIPTION
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We have upload *.RTF [Rich Text File] files in you SharePoint document library http://sharepoint/yagya/test%20Library/Forms/AllItems.aspx
When we try to search for keywords like “alligator & applicable” which are inside the RTF files, no results are found.We are able to get results from Microsoft Word documents like *.doc and *.docx. A summary of the solution is detailed below.

SYMPTOMS
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We have upload *.RTF [Rich Text File] files in you SharePoint document library http://sharepoint/yagya/test%20Library/Forms/AllItems.aspx
When we try to search for keywords like “alligator & applicable” which are inside the RTF files,
you get following message

No results matching your search were found.
Check your spelling. Are the words in your query spelled correctly?
Try using synonyms. Maybe what you’re looking for uses slightly different words. Make your search more general. Try more general terms in place of specific ones. Try your search in a different scope. Different scopes can have different results.

We are able to get results from Microsoft Word documents like *.doc and *.docx

CAUSE
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By default *.RTF [Rich Text Format] files are not searchable in SharePoint site as they cannot be crawled.

RESOLUTION
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http://download.microsoft.com/download/SharePointPortalServer/Utility/1/NT5/EN-US/RTF.exe
1. Copy rtffilt.dll to C:\windows\System32 on the operating system drive of the SharePoint Server computer.
2. Register rtffilt.dll. – On the taskbar, click Start, point to Programs, point to Accessories, and then click Command Prompt. – Type Cd /d %windir%\system32 and then press ENTER to navigate to windows\System32 on the operating system drive. – Type regsvr32 rtffilt.dll and then press ENTER. – Click OK to close the message box. – Close Command Prompt.
3. Restart Office SharePoint Server Search and Windows SharePoint search service. – On the taskbar, click Start, point to Programs, point to Administrative Tools, and then click Services. – Right-click the service and then click Restart.
4. Add the .rtf extension to included file types, and start a full update. – Go to Central administration–Shared Services 1–Search settings–File Types – Click on New File Type and add “rtf” – On the Rules tab, click File Types. – Go to “Content sources and crawl schedules” and right click “Local Office SharePoint Server sites” and start a Full crawl
5. Wait for the crawl to complete

ADDITIONAL ARTICLES
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- Rich Text Format File Content Is Not Indexed
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/291676