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Convert TIFF to PNG

Output is typically about 61% smaller.

  • Files stay on your device
  • Free, no sign-up
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Questions

Why can't anything open my TIFF?

TIFF was designed in the 1980s for print and archival work, not for the web, and it accumulated so many optional variants — different compression schemes, colour spaces, bit depths — that implementing it completely is genuinely hard. Browsers never bothered, and many consumer applications only handle a subset. Scanners and professional cameras still produce them, which is why converting is usually faster than finding software that copes.

Will converting TIFF to PNG make the file smaller?

Usually, yes. A 12-megapixel photo is around 36 MB as TIFF and around 14 MB as PNG — about 61% smaller. Because PNG is lossless the result depends entirely on the image content — flat colour and text compress far better than photographic detail.

Does converting TIFF to PNG lose quality?

No. PNG is lossless, so every pixel decoded from your TIFF file is stored exactly. Both formats are lossless, so the conversion is pixel-for-pixel identical.

Is transparency preserved when converting TIFF to PNG?

Yes. Both TIFF and PNG support an alpha channel, so transparent and semi-transparent pixels carry across unchanged — a logo with a cut-out background stays cut out, and soft drop shadows keep their gradient rather than picking up a white halo. Because PNG is lossless, the alpha channel is stored exactly as it was.

Why won't my browser display a TIFF?

No major browser supports TIFF — it was designed for print and archival workflows, not the web, and its many optional variants make it awkward to implement. Scanners and professional cameras still produce them, which is why conversion is usually the fastest route. Note that a multi-page TIFF holds several images; only the first page is converted here.

How it works, and more about tiff to png

How it works

  1. Add your TIFF file. Drag a TIFF file onto the drop zone, or click to browse. You can select several at once.
  2. Choose your settings. PNG is lossless, so there is nothing to configure — the output matches the input pixel for pixel.
  3. Download the PNG. Conversion runs on your device as soon as each file is added — no upload, no queue. Download each result when it is ready.

Why people convert TIFF to PNG

A scanner, a professional camera or a print workflow handed you a TIFF, and nothing will open it. No browser has ever supported the format, and plenty of everyday software does not either.

PNG is the right target when the file still has work to do: it is lossless, so nothing is discarded on the way, it keeps any transparency, and every editor and browser reads it. Use this when the image is going into further editing rather than straight to a recipient.

Worth knowing: A TIFF can hold several pages in one file, as scanned documents usually do. Only the first is converted here.

TIFF and PNG side by side

 TIFFPNG
Full nameTagged Image File FormatPortable Network Graphics
CompressionLossy or losslessLossless
TransparencyYes — alpha channelYes — alpha channel
AnimationNoNo
Browser supportNone — no major browser can display TIFFUniversal — every browser since 1996
Typical 12 MP photo~36 MB~14 MB
Usually used forProfessional print, document scanning and long-term archivesScreenshots, logos, icons, diagrams and anything needing transparency

On a typical 12-megapixel phone photo, the PNG output comes out about 61% smaller than the TIFF original. These are order-of-magnitude figures for one kind of image — your own results will vary a great deal, because flat colour, text and line art behave nothing like photographic detail.

What this tool actually produces

Not estimates. Each row below was produced by running the file through this page in a real browser and measuring the result, at the default quality of 82.

Test imageTIFF inPNG outChange
Smooth gradient
1600 × 1200, broad tonal transitions — where banding and blocking show
5.5 MB3.0 MB-45%
UI screenshot
1440 × 900, dense text on flat panels — the hardest case for JPEG
3.7 MB150 KB-96%
Line-art diagram
1200 × 800, hard edges and large flat areas
3.7 MB39 KB-99%

Every test image got smaller, though by very different margins — flat colour and text behave nothing like photographic detail, so treat the closest row to your own content as the useful one. Measured in Chrome 150.0.7871.46; other browsers encode slightly differently.

What to watch out for

  • Very large files for photographic content
  • No animation (APNG is a separate, less-supported extension)
  • Slower to decode than JPEG at the same pixel count

About the two formats

TIFF is the archival and print standard: lossless, capable of 16 bits per channel, CMYK colour and multiple pages in a single file. It is also completely unsupported by web browsers, which is the usual reason people need to convert one — a scanner or a printer handed them a TIFF and nothing will open it.

PNG stores every pixel exactly as it was, with no generation loss no matter how many times you re-save it. That fidelity is why it dominates screenshots, logos and UI assets, and also why it is the wrong choice for photographs — lossless compression simply cannot get a 12-megapixel photo down to a reasonable size.

Other conversions

Everything runs on your device — nothing is uploaded, so there is no size limit, no queue and no copy left on a server afterwards. There is more on how browser-based conversion works if you want the detail. Otherwise, browse every image tool.