TIFF is a way to store photographs and documents that keeps all the detail without shrinking the file

Tagged Image File Format, or TIFF, is a file type that holds pictures and scanned documents. Unlike JPEG files, which throw away some image information to make the file smaller, TIFF keeps everything. This makes TIFF useful when you need the highest quality — for printing, archiving old documents, or professional photography work. The trade-off is that TIFF files are much larger than JPEG files of the same image.

You will recognize a TIFF file by its extension: .tif or .tiff. Your computer's photo viewer can open TIFF files the same way it opens JPEGs or PNGs. Most professional software — design programs, photo editors, document scanners — can read and create TIFF files without any extra steps.

Key Takeaways

  • TIFF files preserve all image detail without compression, making them ideal for printing, archiving, and professional work where quality matters more than file size.
  • A TIFF file is typically 5 to 10 times larger than a JPEG of the same image because it stores more information.
  • TIFF works well for scanned documents, multi-page files, and photographs you plan to edit, but is not practical for email or web use.
  • Most photo viewers and editing software open TIFF files without any special steps, though some older programs may not recognize them.

How TIFF differs from JPEG and PNG

JPEG is the most common photo format on the internet and on phones. When you save a photo as JPEG, the software removes some color and detail information to make the file much smaller. You usually cannot see the difference on a screen, but if you print a large photo or edit it many times, the loss of detail becomes visible. TIFF does not throw away this information, so the file stays large but the image stays perfect.

PNG is another format that keeps all image information without loss. PNG files are smaller than TIFF but larger than JPEG. PNG is better for graphics with solid colors and sharp edges — like logos or screenshots — while TIFF is better for photographs and scanned documents. If you are choosing between PNG and TIFF, PNG is usually fine for web use, and TIFF is better for printing or long-term storage.

Why file size matters when choosing TIFF

A single photograph saved as JPEG might be 2 to 3 megabytes. The same photo as TIFF could be 20 to 30 megabytes. If you are scanning 100 pages of old documents as TIFF, you could end up with several gigabytes of files. This matters because large files take longer to email, upload, or back up. They also fill up your storage faster.

For this reason, TIFF is not practical for everyday use. You would not send a TIFF photo to a friend by email, or post one on social media — JPEG or PNG is the right choice for those tasks. TIFF makes sense when the quality of the image is more important than the size of the file, or when you are storing something you need to preserve exactly as it is.

When to use TIFF for scanning and archiving

If you own a scanner, it probably offers TIFF as an option. Scanning old family photos, important documents, or artwork as TIFF means you are creating a high-quality backup that will not degrade over time. If you scan the same document as JPEG instead, and then scan it again years later, the second scan will have less detail than the first. With TIFF, each scan is stored at full quality, so you always have the original information.

Libraries, museums, and government agencies often store scanned documents as TIFF for this reason. A TIFF file from 1995 looks the same today as it did then. A JPEG from 1995 may have already lost detail that you cannot recover. For anything you plan to keep for decades, TIFF is the safer choice.

TIFF and professional photography or design work

Professional photographers and designers often work with TIFF files because editing software preserves all the image information while you work. If you open a TIFF in Photoshop, make changes, and save it again as TIFF, nothing is lost. The same workflow with JPEG means each save loses a little more detail. After several edits, a JPEG can look noticeably worse.

For printing, TIFF is also the standard. A print shop may ask you to send your image as TIFF rather than JPEG, because the printer needs all the color information to produce the best result. If you are preparing something for professional printing — a poster, a book cover, a large photograph — TIFF is usually what the printer wants.

How to convert files to or from TIFF

Most photo editing software can open a JPEG, PNG, or other image format and save it as TIFF. In Photoshop, you open the file and choose File > Export As, then select TIFF from the format menu. In free software like GIMP, the process is the same: File > Export As, then choose TIFF. On a Mac, Preview (the built-in photo viewer) can also save images as TIFF.

Converting from TIFF to JPEG is just as straightforward. Open the TIFF file in any photo editor, then export or save it as JPEG. Keep in mind that once you save as JPEG, you lose the extra detail that TIFF was storing. If you think you might need to edit the image again later, keep a TIFF copy and only convert to JPEG when you are ready to share or print.

Common problems and what they mean

If you receive a TIFF file and your phone or basic photo viewer will not open it, the software on your device may not support TIFF. This is rare on computers but more common on phones. The solution is to convert the TIFF to JPEG or PNG using a free online converter, or to ask the person who sent it to resend it in a different format.

If you are trying to email a TIFF file and it keeps failing, the file is probably too large for your email provider's attachment limit. Most email services cap attachments at 20 to 25 megabytes. A TIFF file can easily exceed this. Compress it to JPEG, or use a file-sharing service like Google Drive or Dropbox instead.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I open a TIFF file on my phone?

Most phones do not have a built-in viewer for TIFF files. You can download a free app that opens TIFF, or convert the file to JPEG or PNG on a computer first, then transfer it to your phone. If someone sends you a TIFF and you cannot open it, ask them to send JPEG instead.

Is TIFF better than PDF for storing scanned documents?

TIFF and PDF both preserve image quality, but they serve different purposes. PDF is better if you want to search the text in a scanned document or combine multiple pages into one file. TIFF is better if you want to edit individual pages or keep the highest possible image quality. Many people scan as TIFF first, then convert to PDF for sharing.

Why is my TIFF file so much bigger than the original JPEG?

TIFF stores all the color and detail information that JPEG throws away to save space. A TIFF file can be 5 to 10 times larger than a JPEG of the same image. This is normal and expected. If the file size is a problem, convert it to JPEG, but understand that you will lose some image quality in the process.

Can I edit a TIFF file without losing quality?

Yes. TIFF files do not lose quality when you edit and resave them, as long as you save the result as TIFF again. If you edit a TIFF and save it as JPEG, you will lose quality at that point. For work you plan to edit multiple times, always keep a TIFF version and only convert to JPEG when you are finished.