Convert PDF to TIFF on Mac
Select the PDF files in Finder, press ⌥ F, choose TIFF and press Return. FileFlip saves each TIFF next to its original and works without an internet connection.
How to convert PDF to TIFF with FileFlip
Select the PDF files
In Finder or on the Desktop. One file, or a whole folder with ⌘ A.
Press ⌥ F
FileFlip opens next to the selection and lists the formats it can make from PDF. Type “TIFF” to jump to it.
Choose TIFF and press Return
The TIFF files appear next to the originals with the same names. The PDF files stay as they are.
PDF and TIFF
PDFs are hard to edit and awkward to reuse in other apps. TIFF is lossless and accepted by print shops and archives.
What changes when you convert
- The TIFF is a picture of the page: its text can no longer be selected or searched.
| Property | TIFF | |
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Portable Document Format | Tagged Image File Format |
| Made by | Adobe; an ISO standard since 2008 | Aldus, now Adobe |
| Introduced | 1993 | 1986 |
| Best for | Sharing, printing and archiving documents | Printing, scanning and archiving |
| Opens in | Every browser, Preview, Acrobat and every phone | Preview, Photoshop and most image editors; most web browsers don’t display it |
| File extension | .tiff, .tif | |
| In FileFlip | Opens and saves | Opens and saves |
Other ways on a Mac
For one file now and then you may not need FileFlip. These work with what’s already on your Mac.
Preview
Open the PDF in Preview, choose File → Export, pick TIFF from the Format menu and click Save. Preview exports one page at a time.
Good for a few files now and then.
Terminal
The sips command converts images in place or into a new file.
sips -s format tiff report.pdf \
--out report.tiffBuilt into macOS. Converts the first page only.
Questions about PDF and TIFF
Can I still search the text in the TIFF?
No. The TIFF is an image of the page. Keep the PDF if you need selectable text.
Can I convert many PDF files at once?
Yes. Select them all in Finder, press ⌥ F and choose TIFF. Progress moves to the menu bar, so you can close the panel and keep working.
Where is the TIFF file saved?
Next to the original, with the same name and the .tiff extension. The PDF file isn’t changed. In Settings you can choose a different folder instead.
Can I convert TIFF back to PDF?
Yes, FileFlip converts TIFF to PDF as well.
Are my files uploaded anywhere?
No. FileFlip converts files on your Mac and works with the internet turned off.
Convert a stack of PDFs at once
FileFlip also handles images, camera raw files, video, audio, documents and data files. Requires macOS 14 Sonoma or later.
Coming soon for Mac