What Is 'RTFM'? What Does RTFM Mean?

Question: What Is 'RTFM'? What Does RTFM Mean?

Answer: "RTFM" is "Read the F*cking Manual". This is a harsh and impatient response that says "your question could easily be answered by basic working knowledge or by reading the documented instructions". You will see RTFM used in discussion forums, online gaming, and in office email conversations. In almost all cases, the usage will be from a mean-spirited veteran who is mocking someone for asking a basic question. In some cases, however, the person in question will deserve the hostility if their question is so basic that it demonstrates incompetence.

Examples of RTFM usage:

• How do you turn on a computer? RTFM! How about pressing the button that says "power"!
• I think the above poster should RTFM... the way you reply in this forum is by pressing the button clearly labeled "reply".
• Dear god, Jeffrey doesn't even know how to save a file! RTFM fer chrissake... why did we hire this guy?

The RTFM expression, like many cultural curiousities of the Internet, is a part of modern English communication.

Read more Internet abbreviations and shorthand expressions...