Free online WMF to TIFF converter

Publishing, scanning, and archival applications may require TIFF when an older WMF drawing is not supported. Converting it rasterizes the drawing into a widely compatible image at a chosen resolution for printing, editing, or storage.

What the WMF format is

WMF (Windows Metafile) is a Microsoft graphics format that stores Windows GDI drawing instructions, including lines, shapes, fills, text, and bitmap objects. It is mainly associated with older Microsoft Office files, Windows drawing and diagram programs, desktop-publishing software, and clip-art collections.

A WMF is primarily resolution-independent drawing data rather than a fixed pixel grid, but it can contain embedded raster images. Rendering may depend on Windows GDI behavior, installed fonts, and application-specific settings. WMF support is less consistent on macOS, Linux, web platforms, and current image-processing software.

What the TIFF format is

TIFF (Tagged Image File Format), usually saved with .tif or .tiff, is a raster format used for scanning, printing, publishing, scientific imaging, and document archiving. It can store high-resolution grayscale, RGB, CMYK, and monochrome images, metadata, and—in software that supports it—multiple pages or frames.

TIFF supports lossless compression such as LZW and ZIP, which preserves rendered pixels without JPEG-style artifacts. It is often easier for imaging and publishing software to open than WMF, but it is not an editable vector file. The conversion creates pixels at the selected resolution, so enlarging the TIFF later cannot restore vector editability or detail lost during rasterization.

How to convert WMF to TIFF

For a conversion without installing software, use the converter on 101convert.com. Upload the .wmf file, choose TIFF as the output format, select a resolution or compression option if provided, and download the result. Avoid uploading confidential artwork to any service; use desktop software when the file must remain local.

LibreOffice Draw is useful when the drawing needs visual inspection before export:

1. Open LibreOffice Draw and select File → Open, then choose the .wmf file.
2. Check the page dimensions, text, colors, embedded images, thin strokes, clipping, and transparency.
3. Select File → Export, choose TIFF - Tagged Image File Format, and save with a .tif or .tiff extension.
4. Set the export resolution, color mode, and compression in the TIFF options, then confirm the export.

ImageMagick can automate repeatable conversions if the installed build has WMF support through its graphics delegates:

magick -density 300 input.wmf -background white -alpha remove -alpha off -compress LZW output.tiff

Place -density 300 before the input filename; it requests rasterization at approximately 300 DPI. -compress LZW applies lossless compression. The background and alpha options flatten transparency to white, which is appropriate only when the destination workflow does not require transparency. Check the result with:

magick identify output.tiff

If ImageMagick reports that WMF is unsupported, install a build with the required delegate or use LibreOffice Draw or 101convert.com instead.

Quality and compatibility caveats

Choose the output resolution for the intended use: about 150 DPI for screen or basic office use, 300 DPI for ordinary printing, and 600 DPI or more for small line art that will be enlarged. Higher DPI increases pixel dimensions and file size; it cannot recover detail absent from an embedded bitmap.

Missing fonts can change text width, line breaks, and alignment. WMF files that rely on Windows-specific GDI behavior, device-dependent colors, or unsupported objects may render differently between applications. For exact reproduction, convert the file in the program that created it or on a system containing the original fonts.

Inspect the TIFF after conversion, especially for transparent areas, thin lines, clipping paths, color changes, and embedded bitmap elements. LZW and ZIP reduce file size without reducing pixel quality, but a high-resolution TIFF can still be much larger than the source WMF.