.tif — Tagged Image File Format
A flexible high-quality raster image format used for scanning, archiving, photography, and print workflows.
About this format
TIFF is an older but still important raster image container. It can store uncompressed image data, lossless compression, high bit depth, multiple pages, metadata, and color profiles.
The reason TIFF remains common is reliability in professional workflows. The reason it is painful on the web is the same flexibility: files are often large, browsers rarely render them directly, and many TIFF variants require specialized software.
Real-world samples & file sizes
Four externally sourced TIFF files converted to common preview sizes: 1:1, 4:3, 4:5, and 16:9. Most browsers do not decode TIFF natively, so each card shows a JPEG preview while the download link points to the real .tiff file.
AB Aurigae Disk
A scientific TIFF sample resized to a common square preview size.
Chrome does not render TIFF directly, so this card uses a JPEG preview.
Sudan Grass Photograph
A monochrome archive TIFF cropped and resized to a common 4:3 canvas.
Preview rendered from the downloaded TIFF; download gets the real TIFF.
Prince Murad Baksh
A color museum digitization TIFF prepared for the common 4:5 portrait ratio.
Preview rendered from the downloaded TIFF; download gets the real TIFF.
NASA Eclipse Event
A modern RGB TIFF cropped and resized to a common HD preview size.
Preview rendered from the downloaded TIFF; download gets the real TIFF.
Pros
- +Excellent for scans, archives, and print handoff
- +Supports lossless storage and high bit depth
- +Can store multiple pages and metadata
- +Widely supported by professional imaging tools
Cons
- −Large files compared with web formats
- −Browsers usually cannot display TIFF directly
- −Many variants exist, so compatibility can be uneven
- −Not a practical format for normal websites
Where it works
- macOS Preview ✅
- Windows Photos ⚠️
- Linux image viewers ✅
- Chrome ❌
- Firefox ❌
- Edge ❌
- Safari ⚠️
- Photoshop ✅
- Affinity Photo ✅
- GIMP ✅
- ImageMagick ✅
- Preview ✅
Related tools
Frequently asked questions
- Why will TIFF not open in my browser?
- TIFF has many encoding variants and is not a web delivery format, so Chrome, Firefox, and Edge usually do not render it directly.
- When should I use TIFF?
- Use TIFF for scanning, archiving, print handoff, or professional editing. Convert to JPG, PNG, WebP, or AVIF for websites.