Getting Started with Syncfusion^® WPF RichTextBox

21 Jul 202623 minutes to read

WPF RichTextBox (SfRichTextBoxAdv) enables you to create, edit, view, and print Word documents in WPF applications. This section guides you through the steps to get started and create a RichTextBox in a WPF application.

Create a RichTextBox in WPF using SfRichTextBoxAdv

In this walkthrough, you will create a WPF application that uses the SfRichTextBoxAdv control.

The steps below cover the essential tasks required to add and use the SfRichTextBoxAdv control in a WPF project.

Create a New WPF Project

Open Visual Studio.
Click Create a new project.
In the Create a new project window, search for WPF App, and select a template based on your requirement:
- WPF Application (.NET)
- WPF App (.NET Framework)
Click Next, and enter the following details:
- Project name: DocumentEditor
- Location: Choose your preferred location
- Solution name: DocumentEditor

NOTE

The project name is used as the default namespace (for example, in x:Class). It is recommended to use DocumentEditor to match the code examples provided.

Select the target framework:
- For .NET → Click Next and choose the latest supported .NET version
- For .NET Framework → Select 4.6.2 or above in the same window
Click Create

NOTE

The control supports .NET 8, .NET 9, .NET 10, as well as .NET Framework 4.6.2 and above.

Add SfRichTextBoxAdv dependencies

Using NuGet Package Manager (UI):

In Solution Explorer, right-click the project and choose Manage NuGet Packages.
Search for Syncfusion.SfRichTextBoxAdv.WPF and install the latest version.
Ensure the necessary dependencies are installed correctly, and the project is restored.

Using Package Manager Console:

Package Manager
Install-Package Syncfusion.SfRichTextBoxAdv.WPF

The following assembly references are required to use the SfRichTextBoxAdv control in your application.

Syncfusion.SfRichTextBoxAdv.WPF
Syncfusion.Compression.Base
Syncfusion.OfficeChart.Base
Syncfusion.Shared.WPF
Syncfusion.DocIO.Base

NOTE

A valid Syncfusion® license key is required from v16.2.0.41 (2018 Vol 2) onwards.

The required Syncfusion.Licensing assembly is installed automatically as a NuGet dependency — no separate reference is needed.

If you are using the Assemblies installation, you must add a reference to Syncfusion.Licensing.dll in your project.

Register the license key in the App constructor of App.xaml.cs before any Syncfusion control is initialized. For the exact RegisterLicense code, refer to Register Syncfusion® License key in a WPF application.

Add SfRichTextBoxAdv control

Open the Toolbox window and drag the SfRichTextBoxAdv control onto the Design view of the WPF application to add it to the user interface.

Dragging SfRichTextBoxAdv Control from Toolbox

To add the control manually in XAML, follow these steps:

Import the Syncfusion® WPF schema http://schemas.syncfusion.com/wpf or the SfRichTextBoxAdv control namespace Syncfusion.Windows.Controls.RichTextBoxAdv in the XAML page.
Declare SfRichTextBoxAdv control in the XAML page.

MainWindow.xaml
<Window xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation"
        xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml"
        xmlns:syncfusion="http://schemas.syncfusion.com/wpf" 
        x:Class="DocumentEditor.MainWindow"
        Title="MainWindow" Height="450" Width="800">
    <Grid>
        <syncfusion:SfRichTextBoxAdv x:Name="richTextBoxAdv"/>
    </Grid>
</Window>

To add the control manually in C#, add the following code in MainWindow.xaml.cs

MainWindow.xaml.cs
using Syncfusion.Windows.Controls.RichTextBoxAdv;
using System.Windows;
using System.Windows.Controls;

namespace DocumentEditor
{
    public partial class MainWindow : Window
    {
        public MainWindow()
        {
            InitializeComponent();

            // Create a Grid container to use as the layout root
            Grid rootGrid = new Grid();

            // Create an instance of the SfRichTextBoxAdv control
            SfRichTextBoxAdv richTextBoxAdv = new SfRichTextBoxAdv();

            // Add the SfRichTextBoxAdv control to the Grid
            rootGrid.Children.Add(richTextBoxAdv);

            // Set the Grid as the content of the Window
            this.Content = rootGrid;
        }
    }
}

Run the Application

NOTE

Ensure you have registered the Syncfusion® license key in App.xaml.cs before running — see the licensing note earlier on this page.

Press F5 or click Debug > Start Debugging in Visual Studio.
The application launches and displays the SfRichTextBoxAdv control.
Press Ctrl+O to open an existing document. The selected document will be displayed within the SfRichTextBoxAdv control, as shown below.

WPF SfRichTextBoxAdv Control

NOTE

View Sample in GitHub.

Add ribbon UI to SfRichTextBoxAdv

If you need a ribbon-based user interface, you can add SfRichTextRibbon with the SfRichTextBoxAdv control. It enhances the user experience by organizing commands into tabs and groups, similar to Microsoft Word.

Add SfRichTextRibbon Dependencies

Using NuGet Package Manager (UI)

In Solution Explorer, right-click the project and choose Manage NuGet Packages.
Search for Syncfusion.SfRichTextRibbon.WPF and install the latest version.
Ensure the necessary dependencies are installed correctly, and the project is restored.

Using Package Manager Console

Package Manager
Install-Package Syncfusion.SfRichTextRibbon.WPF

NOTE

Installing the SfRichTextRibbon NuGet package will automatically install the required SfRichTextBoxAdv NuGet package as a dependency.

The following assembly references are required to use the SfRichTextRibbon control in your application.

Syncfusion.SfRichTextRibbon.WPF
Syncfusion.SfRichTextBoxAdv.WPF
Syncfusion.Compression.Base
Syncfusion.OfficeChart.Base
Syncfusion.Shared.WPF
Syncfusion.Tools.WPF
Syncfusion.DocIO.Base

Configure RibbonWindow for SfRichTextRibbon

To use the SfRichTextRibbon control in a WPF application, the application must use Syncfusion® RibbonWindow instead of the default Window.

In MainWindow.xaml, rename the root element from <Window> to <syncfusion:RibbonWindow> and, if not already present, add the Syncfusion® WPF schema declaration xmlns:syncfusion="http://schemas.syncfusion.com/wpf" to the root element.
In MainWindow.xaml.cs, change the base class of MainWindow from Window to RibbonWindow to enable full support for the SfRichTextRibbon control.

Add SfRichTextRibbon to the application

Open the Toolbox window and drag the SfRichTextRibbon and SfRichTextBoxAdv controls onto the Design view of MainWindow.xaml.
Switch to the XAML view of MainWindow.xaml and bind the SfRichTextBoxAdv as the DataContext of the SfRichTextRibbon. For the exact binding syntax, see the Via XAML tab.

Dragging SfRichTextRibbon Control from Toolbox

To add the control manually in XAML, follow these steps:

Import the Syncfusion® WPF schema http://schemas.syncfusion.com/wpf or the SfRichTextRibbon control namespace Syncfusion.Windows.Controls.RichTextBoxAdv in the XAML page.
Declare the SfRichTextRibbon and SfRichTextBoxAdv controls in the XAML page.
To establish interaction between SfRichTextRibbon and SfRichTextBoxAdv, bind the SfRichTextBoxAdv as the DataContext to the SfRichTextRibbon.

MainWindow.xaml
<syncfusion:RibbonWindow xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation"
                         xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml"
                         xmlns:syncfusion="http://schemas.syncfusion.com/wpf" 
                         x:Class="DocumentEditor.MainWindow"
                         Title="MainWindow" Height="450" Width="800">
<Grid>
     <Grid.RowDefinitions>
         <RowDefinition Height="Auto"/>
         <RowDefinition Height="*"/>
     </Grid.RowDefinitions>
     <syncfusion:SfRichTextRibbon x:Name="richTextRibbon" SnapsToDevicePixels="True"  DataContext="{Binding ElementName=richTextBoxAdv}"/>
     <syncfusion:SfRichTextBoxAdv x:Name="richTextBoxAdv" Background="#F1F1F1" Grid.Row="1"/>
 </Grid>
</syncfusion:RibbonWindow>

To add the control manually in C#, add the below code in MainWindow.xaml.cs

MainWindow.xaml.cs
using Syncfusion.Windows.Controls.RichTextBoxAdv;
using Syncfusion.Windows.Tools.Controls;
using System.Windows;
using System.Windows.Controls;
using System.Windows.Media;

namespace DocumentEditor
{
    public partial class MainWindow : RibbonWindow
    {
        public MainWindow()
        {
            InitializeComponent();

            // Create the root Grid container for layout
            Grid rootGrid = new Grid();

            // Define the first row (auto-sized for ribbon)
            RowDefinition row1 = new RowDefinition();
            row1.Height = GridLength.Auto;

            // Define the second row (fills remaining space for editor)
            RowDefinition row2 = new RowDefinition();
            row2.Height = new GridLength(1, GridUnitType.Star);

            // Add row definitions to the grid
            rootGrid.RowDefinitions.Add(row1);
            rootGrid.RowDefinitions.Add(row2);

            // Instantiate the rich text editor control
            SfRichTextBoxAdv richTextBoxAdv = new SfRichTextBoxAdv();

            // Set background color for better UI appearance
            richTextBoxAdv.Background = new SolidColorBrush((Color)ColorConverter.ConvertFromString("#F1F1F1"));

            // Instantiate the ribbon control
            SfRichTextRibbon richTextRibbon = new SfRichTextRibbon();

            // Enable pixel snapping for sharper rendering
            richTextRibbon.SnapsToDevicePixels = true;

            // Bind the ribbon's commands to the editor instance
            richTextRibbon.DataContext = richTextBoxAdv;

            // Position the ribbon in the first row
            Grid.SetRow(richTextRibbon, 0);

            // Position the editor in the second row
            Grid.SetRow(richTextBoxAdv, 1);

            // Add controls to the grid
            rootGrid.Children.Add(richTextRibbon);
            rootGrid.Children.Add(richTextBoxAdv);

            // Set the constructed grid as the content of the RibbonWindow
            this.Content = rootGrid;
        }
    }
}

NOTE

Prefer using SfRichTextRibbon within RibbonWindow — the ribbon’s backstage view (File tab options like New, Open, Save, Print) is only available when the ribbon is hosted in a RibbonWindow.

Run the Application with Ribbon UI

Press F5 or click Debug > Start Debugging in Visual Studio.
The application will launch with the SfRichTextRibbon and SfRichTextBoxAdv controls.
Press Ctrl + O or use the Open option in the SfRichTextRibbon to open a document, which will be displayed in the SfRichTextBoxAdv control, with ribbon options available for editing and formatting, as shown below

WPF SfRichTextBoxAdv Control along with its SfRichTextRibbon

NOTE

View Sample in GitHub.

Theme

In this walkthrough, you will apply a theme to the WPF SfRichTextBoxAdv and SfRichTextRibbon controls.

The steps below outline the essential tasks required to configure and apply themes in a WPF application.

Add Theme Dependencies

Using NuGet Package Manager (UI)

In Solution Explorer, right-click the project and choose Manage NuGet Packages.
In the Browse tab, search for and install the latest version of the following packages:
- Syncfusion.SfRichTextBoxAdv.WPF – Rich text editor control
- Syncfusion.SfRichTextRibbon.WPF – Ribbon UI for the editor
- Syncfusion.Themes.Windows11Light.WPF – Windows 11 Light theme
Ensure all dependencies are installed successfully and the project is restored without errors.

Using Package Manager Console

Package Manager
Install-Package Syncfusion.SfRichTextBoxAdv.WPF
Install-Package Syncfusion.SfRichTextRibbon.WPF
Install-Package Syncfusion.Themes.Windows11Light.WPF

The following assemblies are required to enable theme support:

Syncfusion.SfRichTextBoxAdv.WPF
Syncfusion.SfRichTextRibbon.WPF
Syncfusion.Compression.Base
Syncfusion.OfficeChart.Base
Syncfusion.Shared.WPF
Syncfusion.Tools.WPF
Syncfusion.DocIO.Base
Syncfusion.Themes.Windows11Light.WPF
Syncfusion.SfSkinManager.WPF

Available Themes

Syncfusion provides multiple built-in themes that can be applied based on application requirements.

In this section, the Windows 11 Light theme is used as an example to demonstrate how to apply a theme to the SfRichTextBoxAdv and SfRichTextRibbon controls.

To explore the complete list of available themes and learn how to create custom themes, refer to:

Apply Themes to SfRichTextBoxAdv and SfRichTextRibbon

To add the controls and apply a theme manually in XAML, follow these steps:

Add SfRichTextBoxAdv and SfRichTextRibbon in XAML

The XAML snippet below assumes both SfRichTextBoxAdv and SfRichTextRibbon are already declared in MainWindow.xaml, with the SfRichTextBoxAdv set as the ribbon’s DataContext.

For the full declaration, see the Add SfRichTextRibbon to the application → Via XAML section of this page.

Apply Theme in XAML

Import Syncfusion® WPF schema http://schemas.syncfusion.com/wpf or the SfSkinManager namespace Syncfusion.SfSkinManager into a XAML page.
Define the theme using the SfSkinManager.Theme property.
Set the ThemeName value to Windows11Light or any preferred theme.
Ensure the theme is applied at the Window level so that it is inherited by all child controls.

MainWindow.xaml
<syncfusion:RibbonWindow xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation"
                         xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml"
                         xmlns:syncfusion="http://schemas.syncfusion.com/wpf" 
                         x:Class="DocumentEditor.MainWindow"
                         Title="MainWindow" Height="450" Width="800"
                         xmlns:syncfusionskin ="clr-namespace:Syncfusion.SfSkinManager;assembly=Syncfusion.SfSkinManager.WPF"
                         syncfusionskin:SfSkinManager.Theme="{syncfusionskin:SkinManagerExtension ThemeName=Windows11Light}">
<Grid>
     <Grid.RowDefinitions>
         <RowDefinition Height="Auto"/>
         <RowDefinition Height="*"/>
     </Grid.RowDefinitions>
     <syncfusion:SfRichTextRibbon x:Name="richTextRibbon" SnapsToDevicePixels="True"  DataContext="{Binding ElementName=richTextBoxAdv}"/>
     <syncfusion:SfRichTextBoxAdv x:Name="richTextBoxAdv" Background="#F1F1F1" Grid.Row="1"/>
 </Grid>
</syncfusion:RibbonWindow>

NOTE

The Windows 11 Light theme is used as the default theme. You can change the ThemeName based on your requirements.

The applied theme is automatically inherited by all child controls.

To apply a theme programmatically in C#, add the below code in MainWindow.xaml.cs

MainWindow.xaml.cs
using Syncfusion.SfSkinManager;
using Syncfusion.Windows.Controls.RichTextBoxAdv;
using Syncfusion.Windows.Tools.Controls;
using System.Windows;
using System.Windows.Controls;
using System.Windows.Media;

namespace DocumentEditor
{
    public partial class MainWindow : RibbonWindow
    {
        public MainWindow()
        {
            InitializeComponent();

            // Create the root Grid container for layout
            Grid rootGrid = new Grid();

            // Define the first row (auto-sized for ribbon)
            RowDefinition row1 = new RowDefinition();
            row1.Height = GridLength.Auto;

            // Define the second row (fills remaining space for editor)
            RowDefinition row2 = new RowDefinition();
            row2.Height = new GridLength(1, GridUnitType.Star);

            // Add row definitions to the grid
            rootGrid.RowDefinitions.Add(row1);
            rootGrid.RowDefinitions.Add(row2);

            // Instantiate the rich text editor control
            SfRichTextBoxAdv richTextBoxAdv = new SfRichTextBoxAdv();

            // Set background color for better UI appearance
            richTextBoxAdv.Background = new SolidColorBrush((Color)ColorConverter.ConvertFromString("#F1F1F1"));

            // Instantiate the ribbon control
            SfRichTextRibbon richTextRibbon = new SfRichTextRibbon();

            // Enable pixel snapping for sharper rendering
            richTextRibbon.SnapsToDevicePixels = true;

            // Bind the ribbon's commands to the editor instance
            richTextRibbon.DataContext = richTextBoxAdv;

            // Position the ribbon in the first row
            Grid.SetRow(richTextRibbon, 0);

            // Position the editor in the second row
            Grid.SetRow(richTextBoxAdv, 1);

            // Add controls to the grid
            rootGrid.Children.Add(richTextRibbon);
            rootGrid.Children.Add(richTextBoxAdv);

            // Set the constructed grid as the content of the RibbonWindow
            this.Content = rootGrid;

            // Applies the Windows 11 Light theme to the window
            SfSkinManager.SetTheme(this, new Theme() { ThemeName = "Windows11Light" });
        }
    }
}

Run the Application with Theme Applied

Press F5 or click Debug > Start Debugging in Visual Studio.
The application will launch with the SfRichTextRibbon and SfRichTextBoxAdv controls using the Windows 11 Light theme.
Press Ctrl + O or use the Open option in the SfRichTextRibbon to open a document.
The document is displayed in the editor, along with the themed ribbon and editor interface, as shown below.

WPF SfRichTextBoxAdv with SfRichTextRibbon using a Windows11 theme

NOTE

View Sample in GitHub.

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Getting Started with Syncfusion^® WPF RichTextBox

Create a RichTextBox in WPF using SfRichTextBoxAdv

Create a New WPF Project

Add SfRichTextBoxAdv dependencies

Add SfRichTextBoxAdv control

Run the Application

Add ribbon UI to SfRichTextBoxAdv

Add SfRichTextRibbon Dependencies

Configure RibbonWindow for SfRichTextRibbon

Add SfRichTextRibbon to the application

Run the Application with Ribbon UI

Theme

Add Theme Dependencies

Available Themes

Apply Themes to SfRichTextBoxAdv and SfRichTextRibbon

Run the Application with Theme Applied

See also

Getting Started with Syncfusion® WPF RichTextBox

Create a RichTextBox in WPF using SfRichTextBoxAdv

Create a New WPF Project

Add SfRichTextBoxAdv dependencies

Add SfRichTextBoxAdv control

Run the Application

Add ribbon UI to SfRichTextBoxAdv

Add SfRichTextRibbon Dependencies

Configure RibbonWindow for SfRichTextRibbon

Add SfRichTextRibbon to the application

Run the Application with Ribbon UI

Theme

Add Theme Dependencies

Available Themes

Apply Themes to SfRichTextBoxAdv and SfRichTextRibbon

Run the Application with Theme Applied

See also

Getting Started with Syncfusion^® WPF RichTextBox