Choose plain text for portable wording and formatted expansion only when both the tool and destination support it. A formatted editor alone does not prove your expander can supply rich content.
What survives the transfer
Plain text carries characters and line breaks, not bold styling, fonts, tables, or embedded pictures. A destination may automatically recognize a written URL, but that is not a stored hyperlink with separate display text. Rich content can carry formatting and links; the destination may remove or change them.
Match the format to the task
- Commands, ticket notes, and short chat replies: start with plain text.
- Formatted email instructions: use supported rich content when headings or linked labels matter.
- A form that strips formatting: provide readable wording and the full URL in plain text.
“Rich text” here means formatted content generally. Outlook’s specific Rich Text Format (RTF) is a separate format: Microsoft recommends HTML for formatted email, and new Outlook offers HTML or plain text rather than RTF.
Run a destination test
Make a disposable draft containing two lines, an accented name such as “José,” a bullet, and a full URL. For a rich-capable tool, also test bold and a labeled link. Expand it in each target field and inspect the result before sending. Check line breaks, link targets, list indentation, and any inherited font or color. Test the plain-text fallback too.
Maintain one authoritative version
Keep the wording consistent between formats. Remove customer data from reusable examples and recheck links when procedures change. If the tool stores plain text only, use a destination app’s template feature for formatted blocks rather than assuming it will preserve styling.