TIFF viewer
TIFF viewer: open TIF scans page by page
Scanners and fax software still save TIFF files that most browsers will not show. Drop one here to see every page, then save the ones you need as PNG. The TIFF viewer works on your device.
No viewer on their side? Save it as an image above, then share it as a tracked link.
How to open a TIF image
Open a TIFF in three steps
Single images, multi-page scans and faxes all open the same way.
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Step 1
Choose the .tif
From a scanner, a fax inbox, a document archive or a photographer.
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Step 2
Go through the pages
Multi-page files get a tab per page; single images show at full size.
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Step 3
Save a page as PNG
PNG keeps the image lossless and opens everywhere, including on the web.
What a TIFF file is
TIFF, the Tagged Image File Format, dates back to 1986 and is still the standard for scanning, faxing, archiving and printing. Its specification, Revision 6.0, is described in the Library of Congress format record for TIFF. A TIFF can hold several pages in one file, use lossless compression such as LZW, Deflate or the CCITT fax codes, and store colour for print as CMYK. That flexibility is why browsers mostly leave it alone: Chrome, Edge and Firefox do not display TIFF files.
How it works
The viewer uses the open-source UTIF.js decoder, which handles the common compressions: none, LZW, Deflate, PackBits, JPEG and the CCITT Group 3 and Group 4 codes used by fax machines and black-and-white scans. Each page is decoded only when you open its tab, so a long scan does not have to load all at once. The first 50 pages get tabs.
TIFF or PNG for scanning?
Both are lossless, so neither throws detail away. TIFF wins when you need several pages in one file, CMYK for a printer, or compatibility with archive and document systems that expect it. PNG wins for anything on screen or on the web, and its files are usually smaller for one page. A common workflow is to scan to TIFF for the archive and save PNG or PDF copies to share.
Converting TIFF to JPG or PDF
Save a page here as PNG, then convert it to JPG in any image editor if you need a smaller file. To turn a multi-page TIFF into a PDF, Preview on a Mac can export it as PDF, and Windows can print it with the Microsoft Print to PDF printer. A PDF is also the easiest format to send as a tracked PDF link.
FAQ
TIFF viewer questions
How do I open TIF images?
Drop the file on this page. On a Mac, Preview opens TIFF files too. On Windows, the Photos app opens many TIFFs, but not every compression type.
Which is better for scanning, TIFF or PNG?
Both are lossless. TIFF is better for multi-page documents, print and archives; PNG is better for the screen and the web.
How do I convert a TIFF image to JPG?
Save the page here as PNG, then convert the PNG to JPG in any image editor, or use Export in Preview on a Mac.
How do I open a TIFF file as a PDF?
Preview on a Mac can export a TIFF as PDF, and on Windows you can print it to Microsoft Print to PDF. This viewer shows the pages and saves them as PNG.
Why does my TIFF not open?
A few rare compression types and damaged files cannot be decoded. Very large images, such as gigapixel scans, can also be too big for a browser tab.
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