What is a TIFF file and how to open it?

Many common file types that you can find in a folder under Windows look familiar. These include JPEG, PDF, MP3, MP4 etc.

 

But there are also file formats which are not so common. These include the TIFF file format, which has the file extension ".tif".

If you are now interested in what a TIFF file is and how it can be opened under Windows or Android Smartphone or iPhone, please read our article about it. We also answer the question why TIFF files are so large.

What is a TIFF file?

TIFF or .tiff is an image file extension and stands for "Tagged Image File Format".

Why are TIFF files so large?

Images with the TIF extension contain multiple images and layers. The images contained in these files are of the highest quality and without any compression. Because of the high image quality of these files, they are often used for image editing. Using the image layers, the editor can edit or recreate individual images.

How are TIFF files opened?

Open TIFF images with Windows Computer

  • Open the location of the TIFF file
  • Right click on the TIFF file and select "Open with".
  • Select which program you want to open this file with.

Possible are, for example:

  • Paint 3D (please note)
  • Adobe Illustrator
  • Adobe Photoshop
  • CorelDRAW

Note: If the image file is very large and consists of several layers, it is better not to use Paint 3D, as this may not open the image with all its layers.

Open TIFF images with Android Smartphone

For Android smartphones, use either the Photoshop app or the app "Multi-TIFF Viewer".

You can then open and display the image file via the app.

Open images with iPhone TIFF

For the iPhone there is also an app to open Tiff files. This is called:

  • TIFF Viewer

Download them from Apple's App Store.

Convert TIFF files to another file extension

If you are unable to open a TIFF file under any circumstances, you can convert it to JPG or PNG format. Online portals that offer such a service are available for this purpose. Make sure that the portal is trustworthy.

So you know everything about so-called TIFF file types and how to open and edit them.

 

About the Author

Manuel Solvemix Team small

Manuel has been involved with technology for more than 15 years, especially with mobile phones, smartphones and PC systems and shares his passion here in this blog. If he can help someone with a technical problem, he is especially happy about it.