TIF to PNG Converter
A .tif file usually comes out of a scanner, a copier's scan-to-folder button, a fax server or a mapping program, and it rarely opens where you need it. Convert it to PNG to get sharp, lossless pages that any browser, editor or ticketing system displays.
Image Converter
or drop JPG, JPEG, JPE … files here ·
Max 95 MB per file· Up to 20 files· Deleted after 30 minutes
Files are processed on our servers and deleted after 30 minutes.
85 keeps photos visually identical to the original. Lower it only when you need a smaller file.
JPG, BMP and EPS have no transparency. Transparent pixels are filled with this color.
Hex color used behind transparent pixels, e.g. #FFFFFF.
This format holds a single image. Choose GIF or WebP output if you want to keep the animation.
A multi-size icon contains several resolutions in one file; browsers and operating systems pick the one they need.
Keep the original dimensions, or enter one side and the aspect ratio is kept.
Pixels for the side you chose above.
Percentage of the original dimensions.
sRGB is right for screens and the web. Keep the original for print workflows; grayscale discards color.
Metadata only, 0 keeps the original value. Printers and some portals read this number; it does not change pixel dimensions.
How to use this tool
- 1
Upload the .tif files
Pick the scans from your downloads or the network folder your copier writes to. Up to 20 files, 95 MB each.
- 2
Check the page setting
Animated input is set to Export every frame as a separate file, so a 12-page scan returns 12 PNGs. Switch it to First frame only under Advanced settings if you only need the cover page.
- 3
Convert to PNG and save
Press Convert to PNG. Several pages arrive together in one ZIP; files are deleted from the server after 30 minutes.
Where TIF files come from and why they will not open
The .tif extension is the older spelling of TIFF, kept alive by office equipment. Multifunction copiers, document scanners and fax servers write .tif because the format can store many pages in one file and compress pure black-and-white text very efficiently. Those files then land in an inbox or a shared folder, where Chrome downloads them instead of showing them and many help-desk tools refuse the attachment.
PNG solves the viewing problem without the blur that JPG adds around text and line drawings. A page of typed text saved as JPG grows gray halos around each letter; as PNG it stays crisp at any zoom the original resolution allows. If you need a photo-sized file instead, TIF to JPG is the lighter choice.
TIF format facts that affect the conversion
- First TIFF specification, by Aldus
- 1986
- MS-DOS extension limit behind .tif
- 3 letters
- Size ceiling of a classic TIFF; BigTIFF goes past it
- 4 GB
- Per pixel in a Group 4 fax or text scan
- 1 bit
Convert TIF to PNG from a scanner, fax or map
Scanner and copier output
Scan-to-folder jobs often save every page of a document in one multi-page .tif. Converting returns one PNG per page, ready to paste into a ticket or a wiki.
Fax and e-fax archives
Fax pages use Group 4 compression, defined by the ITU-T in its T.6 recommendation. The PNG keeps the 1-bit black and white, so files stay small and text stays sharp.
GeoTIFF maps and imagery
Drone mapping tools and satellite archives such as USGS Landsat deliver GeoTIFF. The PNG is a picture for a report; the georeference stays in the original.
TIFF
Tagged Image File Format
TIFF was created by Aldus in 1986 and is now maintained by Adobe. It is a flexible container that can store images uncompressed, with lossless LZW or ZIP compression, or with lossy JPEG compression, and it supports layers, multiple pages, high bit depths and transparency. Printers, publishers, scanners and archives rely on it because it preserves full quality and colour information. The downside is very large files and inconsistent support for some of its options between programs. Browsers do not display TIFF, but most image editors and operating system viewers do.
- Compression
- Lossy or lossless
- Transparency
- Yes
- Animation
- No
- Introduced
- 1986 · Aldus (now Adobe)
PNG
Portable Network Graphics
PNG is a lossless raster format published in 1996 by the PNG Development Group and later standardised by the W3C and ISO. It keeps every pixel exactly, supports full alpha transparency and handles text, sharp edges and flat colours without artefacts. That precision makes it ideal for screenshots, logos, icons and interface graphics. The trade-off is size: photographs saved as PNG are often several times larger than the same photo as JPEG or WebP. All browsers, operating systems and editors open PNG files.
- Compression
- Lossless
- Transparency
- Yes
- Animation
- No
- Introduced
- 1996 · PNG Development Group
People convert TIF to PNG when a scanner, fax server or GIS export has produced a file their browser, help desk or chat app will not preview, and the pages are text or line work that would blur as JPG.
Multi-page TIF to PNG: page count, size and limits
A single PNG cannot hold several pages, so the converter numbers the output files in page order. A 40-page contract scanned to one .tif comes back as 40 PNGs in a ZIP. Each upload can be up to 95 MB; a 300 dpi color scan of a thick binder may need splitting first.
Elevation models and scientific images sometimes store 32-bit floating-point values in a TIF. PNG has no floating-point mode, so export a colored or hillshaded view from your GIS program first and convert that. For ordinary scans none of this applies: what you scanned is what you get.
TIF to PNG: answers for scans and exports
Is a .tif file different from a .tiff file?
No. Both extensions mark the same Tagged Image File Format. The three-letter .tif dates from MS-DOS, which allowed only three characters after the dot, and many scanners and Windows programs still write it that way; macOS and design apps tend to use .tiff.
How do I convert a multi-page TIF to separate PNG files?
Leave Animated input on Export every frame as a separate file, which is this page's default. Each page inside the TIF is saved as its own numbered PNG, because a PNG holds exactly one image. If you would rather keep the pages together, convert the file with TIFF to PDF instead.
Why do my black-and-white scans look jagged after converting?
Fax machines and document scanners often save text pages at 1 bit per pixel with Group 4 compression, so every pixel is pure black or white. PNG keeps those pixels exactly, which means the stair-step edges were already in the scan. Rescan at 300 dpi in grayscale if you need smoother letters.
Does a GeoTIFF keep its map coordinates as a PNG?
No. The georeferencing tags that place a GeoTIFF on the earth have no slot in PNG, so the result is an ordinary picture of the map. Use the PNG for reports and slides, and keep the GeoTIFF for QGIS, ArcGIS or any other GIS work.
Can I convert a .tif to PNG on Windows without software?
Paint opens a .tif and can save it as PNG through Save as, but only one page at a time. A browser converter handles every page in one pass, on a Chromebook or a phone as well.