What happens when you convert TIFF to HEIF
- ImageMagick, the open-source image toolkit, reads the TIFF on our conversion server and saves it as a HEIF, compressed with HEVC at quality 80, the same kind of file as a HEIC with the extension Android cameras use.
- HEIF is written here without transparency, so transparent areas are filled with white.
- HEIF is usually about half the size of a JPG of the same quality. It opens on iPhones, iPads and Macs, and on Windows with the free HEIF Image and HEVC Video extensions; most browsers and many upload forms cannot open it.
- Photos are turned upright using the rotation stored in them, so the result is always the right way up.
- This conversion runs on our server: the file is uploaded, converted, and deleted together with the result as soon as the result has been sent back to you. Nothing is kept. Files up to 25 MB are accepted.
How to convert TIFF to HEIF online
- Press "Choose TIFF files" and select one or more files, or drag them onto the box. Files up to 25 MB each can be converted.
- There are no settings to choose: the converter keeps everything the target format can hold.
- Press "Convert to HEIF". The file is uploaded to our conversion server, converted in a few seconds, and deleted together with the result as soon as the result is sent back.
- Save each HEIF with its download button. Our server has already deleted both your TIFF and the HEIF by then.
Why convert TIFF to HEIF?
TIFF files usually come from print production, scanning, archiving and medical imaging. People convert them to HEIF because HEIF is the open image format behind HEIC, used by Samsung, Sony and other cameras, and about half the size of a JPG of the same quality.
In short, TIFF is good at what it was made for, and HEIF is the more practical choice when the file has to open, upload or print somewhere else. Safari shows TIFF; Chrome, Edge and Firefox download it instead of displaying it, while Safari on Apple devices shows HEIF; Chrome, Edge and Firefox cannot.
How to convert TIFF to HEIF on Windows, Mac, iPhone and Android
On Windows
Open this page in Chrome, Edge or Firefox, drag your TIFF files in from File Explorer, and press Convert. Each HEIF is saved to your Downloads folder.
On a Mac
Safari, Chrome and Firefox all work. Drag the TIFF files from Finder onto the drop zone and the HEIF files land in Downloads.
On iPhone and iPad
Open the page in Safari and tap Choose TIFF files. You can pick from Photos or from the Files app. The converted HEIF appears in Files, in the Downloads folder; to put it in your photo library, open it there, tap Share and choose Save Image.
On Android
Open the page in Chrome, tap Choose TIFF files and pick them from Files or your gallery. The HEIF is saved to the Download folder, where any file manager can find it.
Best settings for TIFF to HEIF
There are no settings: the image keeps its full size and is saved at quality 80.
Keep the TIFF as your original, and convert from it again if you need another format.
TIFF vs HEIF: the differences
| TIFF | HEIF | |
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Tagged Image File Format | High Efficiency Image File Format |
| Type | image | image |
| Created by | Aldus Corporation | the Moving Picture Experts Group |
| First released | 1986 | 2015 |
| Compression | Lossy or lossless | Lossy |
| Transparency | Yes | Yes |
| Animation | No | No |
| Vector or raster | Raster | Raster |
| Colour | up to 32 bits per channel, including CMYK | up to 16-bit colour |
| In a browser | Safari shows it; Chrome, Edge and Firefox download it instead of displaying it | Safari on Apple devices shows it; Chrome, Edge and Firefox cannot |
| Common uses | print production, scanning, archiving and medical imaging | photos from Samsung, Sony and other Android cameras that support it |
| MIME type | image/tiff | image/heif |
About TIFF and HEIF files
What is a TIFF file?
TIFF is the format printers and archives trust because it can store uncompressed or losslessly compressed pixels, CMYK colour and several pages in one file. It is also why a single scan can run to 100 MB.
What is a HEIF file?
HEIF is the container standard and HEIC is the name Apple gives files that use it with HEVC compression. Android phones that shoot in this format usually label the file .heif.
TIFF to HEIF not working? Common problems
- "Files up to 25 MB can be converted." Server conversions have a size limit. Save the image at a smaller size first.
- "The conversion took too long and was stopped." Very long or complex files can pass the 90 second limit. Split the file and convert the parts.
- "This file is not really in TIFF format." The converter checks every file before it runs anything, so a file of another format renamed to .tiff is refused. Choose the page for its real format.
Convert TIFF to HEIF from the command line
ImageMagick, built with libheif as the official installers are, does the same on your own computer:
magick input.tiff -background white -flatten -quality 80 output.heifConverting on your own computer keeps the file entirely local, which is worth it for very large or very sensitive documents. For everything else, the converter on this page does it without installing anything.
TIFF to HEIF converter FAQ
Will I lose quality converting TIFF to HEIF?
A little, because HEIF is lossy. At this quality the difference is hard to see, and the file is much smaller.
Why is the HEIF a different size from the TIFF?
Usually far smaller than the TIFF, because lossy compression discards detail the eye hardly notices.
Are my TIFF files uploaded?
Yes, for this conversion. A faithful TIFF to HEIF conversion needs ImageMagick, the open-source image toolkit, which cannot run in a browser. The file travels over an encrypted connection, is converted in a private temporary folder, and is deleted together with the HEIF as soon as the result has been sent back to you. We do not keep, read or share it.
Can I convert several TIFF files to HEIF at once?
Yes. Select or drop as many files as you like; they are converted one after another and each gets its own download button.
How do I open a HEIF file?
Safari on Apple devices shows HEIF; Chrome, Edge and Firefox cannot. HEIF is common for photos from Samsung, Sony and other Android cameras that support it.
Is this TIFF to HEIF converter free?
Yes. There is no sign-up and no watermark. Because this conversion uses our server, there is a fair-use limit of 25 MB per file and a number of files per hour, which stops the service being overloaded.
Can I convert TIFF to HEIF on my phone?
Yes. It works in Safari on iPhone and iPad and in Chrome on Android. The conversion happens on our server, so it is as fast on a phone as on a computer; the HEIF is saved to your Downloads folder.