TIFF file

What it is

A TIFF file is a series of tagged image file directories (IFDs). Each directory describes one image, so one file can hold several pages, as in a multi-page fax or scan. The tags also say how the pixels are compressed and which colour model they use.

Property	TIFF
Image type	Raster
Compression	None, PackBits, LZW or Deflate (ZIP), all lossless; or JPEG, which is lossy
Colour models	RGB, CMYK, greyscale, YCbCr and CIE L*a*b*
Colour depth	8, 16 or 32 bits per channel in Photoshop
Transparency	Yes, through extra alpha samples; Photoshop can also store layers
Multiple pages	Yes, one image per directory
File size	Up to 4 GB; the BigTIFF variant uses 64-bit offsets for larger files
Metadata	Exif and GPS directories, IPTC, XMP and Photoshop image resources, each in its own tag

The specification describes TIFF as a format for storing and interchanging raster images between applications, and gives multi-page fax documents as an example of several images in one file. Print and photo workflows use it as a master format because it keeps CMYK, 16-bit colour and lossless compression, which JPEG cannot.

Sources: TIFF Revision 6.0 (3 June 1992); Library of Congress, TIFF, Revision 6.0; Adobe, Save in TIFF format (updated 4 October 2026), Photoshop file formats overview (updated 23 February 2026) and XMP Specification Part 3 (January 2020). Read 27 October 2026.

Which apps open it

Platform or app	Opens TIFF	Notes
Windows Photos	Yes	Windows also has a built-in TIFF codec for apps that use its imaging layer
Microsoft Office	Inserts TIFF images
Mac, Preview	Yes	Exports to TIFF, JPEG, PNG and other formats
Android	Not in the platform's image formats	Google Photos does not list TIFF either
Google Drive	Previews TIFF	Works best with RGB files
Safari	Yes	MDN lists Safari as the only browser that displays TIFF
Chrome, Edge, Firefox	No	Convert to JPEG, PNG, WebP or AVIF for the web
Photoshop	Yes, open and save	Compression None, LZW, ZIP or JPEG; layers and transparency can be saved
InDesign	Places RGB, CMYK and greyscale TIFFs
Affinity Photo 2	Yes, open and export	Including transparency
GIMP	Yes, import and export
Figma	Only in Safari	Images larger than 4,096 pixels are scaled down
Canva	Not in the upload formats

Sources: Microsoft, Manage photos and videos with Microsoft Photos, Native WIC codecs (updated 14 May 2025), Graphic file types you can insert and save; Apple, Convert graphics file types in Preview; Android, Supported media formats; Google, Google Photos file types and Drive file types; MDN, Image file type and format guide; Adobe, Save in TIFF format and InDesign supported file formats (updated 2 June 2026); Affinity Photo 2 file formats; GIMP, image standards (updated 24 June 2026); Figma, Add images and videos to designs; Canva, Check file upload formats and requirements. Read 27 October 2026.

How to convert it

Route	How	What the conversion loses
Mac, Preview	Open the file, File > Export, Format: JPEG or PNG	To JPEG: transparency and layers, and 16-bit colour drops to 8 bits
macOS command line	sips -s format jpeg scan.tiff --out scan.jpg	As Preview
ImageMagick	magick 'scan.tif[0]' scan.jpg converts the first page; without [0] every page is converted	To JPEG: transparency and layers, and CMYK needs a colour profile to convert accurately
libvips	vips copy scan.tif scan.jpg[Q=90]	The output format follows the file name; JPEG is saved as RGB, greyscale or CMYK
Freedam	Download a WebP rendition, or use an image URL that delivers AVIF, WebP or JPEG	The rendition shows the first page in sRGB, resized and without metadata

JPEG stores 8 bits per channel, has no transparency and keeps one image, so a 16-bit, layered or multi-page TIFF loses all three when converted to JPEG. PNG keeps transparency and 16 bits but not layers or extra pages.

Sources: Apple, Convert graphics file types in Preview; ImageMagick, files and image indexes and formats; libvips, command line and jpegsave. Read 27 October 2026.

How to convert it with AI

An AI assistant that can run commands on your computer, such as a coding agent in a terminal, can install ImageMagick, an open-source image tool and run the conversion for you. Paste a prompt like this one, change the folder names, and read each command the assistant proposes before you approve it: it runs with your permissions on your files.

Install ImageMagick on this computer (Homebrew on macOS, apt on Debian or Ubuntu, winget on Windows).

Then convert every .tif and .tiff file in the folder ~/Scans to PNG. A file with several pages must give one PNG per page, for example:
magick scan.tif scan-%d.png

Write the PNG files to a new folder ~/Scans/png, keep the originals unchanged, and keep 16-bit files at 16 bits. When you have finished, tell me how many pages each file had and list any file that failed, with the error.

TIFF in Freedam

Freedam accepts .tif and .tiff files in the asset library and stores the original unchanged.

• Preview: Freedam reads the first page of the file with ImageMagick and LibTIFF and makes a WebP preview of up to 1,536 pixels on the long side. A CMYK TIFF with an embedded colour profile is converted to sRGB through that profile, and 16-bit files are previewed at 8 bits. Further pages of a multi-page TIFF are stored in the original but not previewed.
• Renditions: WebP copies 128, 256, 512 and 1,024 pixels wide are made at upload, and larger sizes up to 5,120 pixels are made from the same preview on first request. Freedam image URLs deliver the image as AVIF, WebP or JPEG, depending on what the browser accepts.
• Downloads: people with download rights choose between the original TIFF and a WebP rendition. The download dialog marks the original as a file for editing and suggests the 2,048-pixel WebP, or the largest size that is not wider than the original.
• Metadata: on upload Freedam reads the width, height and colour space, the Exif fields (camera, capture date, exposure, GPS position) and any Content Credentials. The description, keywords, creator and copyright notice in the file's IPTC or XMP fields fill the asset's own fields; where both hold a value, Freedam uses the IPTC one.

Frequently asked questions

Is TIFF lossless?

It depends on the compression chosen when the file is saved. Adobe describes LZW and ZIP compression as lossless; JPEG compression inside a TIFF discards image data to reduce the file size.

Can a TIFF file have multiple pages?

Yes. A TIFF can contain several image file directories, each holding one image, which is how scanners and fax software store multi-page documents. The specification only requires readers to read the first one, so some apps show page one only.

Why won't my TIFF open in Chrome?

Chrome, Edge and Firefox do not display TIFF images; MDN lists Safari as the only browser that does. Convert the file to JPEG, PNG or WebP for the web.