TIFF (TIF) File Format

TIFF is a binary, tag-based container for bitmap images. It is used in image editing, desktop publishing, scanning, fax and OCR workflows and can hold different encodings, compression methods, color representations, images or pages.

Use an image viewer, editor, publishing, scanning or OCR application that explicitly supports TIFF. If the first reader fails, try another TIFF-capable reader because applications do not necessarily support every compression method, configuration or extension tag.

First try the installed Windows image viewer. If it reports an unsupported file, fails to decode it or shows only one page, open a copy in a TIFF-capable image or document application that supports the file's compression and multipage structure.

Try the installed macOS image viewer first. If pages, colors or image data are missing, use a TIFF-capable editor or document reader and retain the original while checking whether the application supports that TIFF configuration.

Choose a mobile image or document application that explicitly lists both TIFF and multipage support. Check its page controls rather than assuming the first displayed image is the entire file.

The reader may not support the file's compression, color representation, multipage layout, high bit depth or extension tags, or the file may be damaged. Preserve the original, try an updated TIFF-capable reader, and avoid repeatedly resaving it during diagnosis.

They are filename extensions used for the same TIFF format. IANA lists .TIF, while the Library of Congress records both .tif and .tiff in actual use. Keep the existing extension unless a receiving system specifically requires the other spelling.

Open the TIFF in a compatible image application and export the required page as JPEG while preserving pixel dimensions and the color profile where possible. Baseline JPEG uses lossy DCT compression, so quality may decrease; extra pages, higher bit depth, some color data, tags or metadata may also be lost.

Standard TIFF 6.0 uses 32-bit offsets and has a practical limit of about 4 GB. BigTIFF uses 64-bit offsets for larger files, but it is an extension whose compatibility must be checked separately, so readers supporting ordinary TIFF are not automatically confirmed for BigTIFF.

TIFF has no defined active-content mechanism, but that does not make every file safe. Specially crafted TIFF data can trigger decoder vulnerabilities, including a documented libtiff heap-buffer overflow that can cause denial of service. Open untrusted files only with updated software and apply limits to memory, dimensions and processing time where possible.