This article describes what TIF/TIFF files are and how they differ from other image files. It also explains which programs can open TIF/TIFF files and how to convert TIF/TIFF files to another image format.

A file with the TIF or TIFF file extension is a tagged image file. This type of file is used for high-quality raster graphics. The format supports lossless compression, in which no image data is lost during the compression process. This allows graphic artists and photographers to archive their high-quality images in a manageable amount of storage space without sacrificing quality.

GeoTIFF image files also use the TIF file extension. These are images that store GPS coordinates as metadata with the file, using the extensible features of the TIFF format.

Some scanning, faxing, and optical character recognition (OCR) applications also use TIF files.