What is a .tif file?

This extension has been used by more than one format

12 different formats have claimed .tif over the years, so two files with the same extension aren't necessarily the same kind of thing.

• Exchangeable Image File Format (Uncompressed)Version 2.0 · x-fmt/399
• Exchangeable Image File Format (Uncompressed)Version 2.2 · x-fmt/387
• Kodak DCS RAW ImageNo version recorded · fmt/2090
• Geographic Tagged Image File Format (GeoTIFF)No version recorded · fmt/155
• BigTIFFNo version recorded · fmt/1917
• Tagged Image File Format for Electronic Photography (TIFF/EP)No version recorded · fmt/154
• Tagged Image File Format for Internet Fax (TIFF-FX)No version recorded · fmt/156
• Kodak DCS RAW ImageVersion 3 · fmt/2091
• Digital Negative Format (DNG)Version 1.1 · fmt/152
• Tagged Image File FormatNo version recorded · fmt/353
• Tagged Image File Format for Image Technology (TIFF/IT)No version recorded · fmt/153
• Exchangeable Image File Format (Uncompressed)Version 2.1 · x-fmt/388

How to open a .tif file

• GIMP (free) and IrfanView open a very wide range of image formats, including obsolete ones.
• XnView MP is the best bet for unusual or legacy image types.
• Your operating system's built-in viewer may work for mainstream formats.

The registry records this extension against Exchangeable Image File Format (Uncompressed), Exchangeable Image File Format (Uncompressed), Kodak DCS RAW Image and others, so software from that family is the most likely match.

How to convert a .tif file

• Open it in GIMP or XnView and export as .png (lossless) or .jpg (smaller).

MIME type

When a .tif file travels over the web, servers label it with one of these MIME types:

What's a MIME type?

The technical record

For archivists, developers and the merely curious: these are the PRONOM registry entries for .tif.

Got another one?