File extension GIF
| File type | Graphics Interchange File Format |
| Developer | N/A |
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What is a GIF file?
Files with the .GIF extension contain images saved without loss using a palette of up to 256 indexed colors that have been either predefined or adapted to the specific colors of the image. They support pixel transparency, but only in full form. They can also be used as a recording format for basic animations.
The GIF format is usually used to save graphics on the Internet - images or graphics with text, less often images, because the number of colors of a single GIF file is limited and the JPEG format works better for this purpose. Examples of GIF files can be buttons on a website or simple animations. Images with a transparent background adapt to the background of the page on which they are placed. The GIF format does not support transparency shading.
Program(s) that can open the .GIF file
Windows
Adobe Photoshop 
Adobe Illustrator 
CorelDRAW 
PaintShop Pro 
ACDSee - PaperPort
- Web browser
Microsoft Expression Design - Paint.NET
Adobe Fireworks 
XnView 
IrfanView 
Adobe Premiere Pro 
FastStone Image Viewer 
Ability Photopaint - PhotoOnWeb
- Zoner GIF Animator
Artweaver 
FastPictureViewer Professional 
ACDSee Photo Manager 
FormatFactory 
Axialis IconWorkshop - SWFTools
- ThunderSoft GIF to AVI Converter
Adobe Creative Suite
Mac OS
Linux
How to open GIF files
If you cannot open the GIF file on your computer - there may be several reasons. The first and most important reason (the most common) is the lack of a suitable software that supports GIF among those that are installed on your device.
A very simple way to solve this problem is to find and download the appropriate application. The first part of the task has already been done – the software supporting the GIF file can be found in the table. Now just download and install the appropriate application.
Possible problems with the GIF format files
The inability to open and operate the GIF file does not necessarily mean that you do not have an appropriate software installed on your computer. There may be other problems that also block our ability to operate the Graphics Interchange File Format file. Below is a list of possible problems.
- Corruption of a GIF file which is being opened
- Incorrect links to the GIF file in registry entries.
- Accidental deletion of the description of the GIF from the Windows registry
- Incomplete installation of an application that supports the GIF format
- The GIF file which is being opened is infected with an undesirable malware.
- The computer does not have enough hardware resources to cope with the opening of the GIF file.
- Drivers of equipment used by the computer to open a GIF file are out of date.
If you are sure that all of these reasons do not exist in your case (or have already been eliminated), the GIF file should operate with your programs without any problem. If the problem with the GIF file has not been solved, it may be due to the fact that in this case there is also another rare problem with the GIF file. In this case, the only you can do is to ask for assistance of a professional staff.
This extension
can be converted to:
- GIF to PDF
- GIF to BMP
- GIF to DJVU
- GIF to EPF
- GIF to JPG
- GIF to ODG
- GIF to PNG
- GIF to PSD
- GIF to ANI
- GIF to APNG
- GIF to CAL
- GIF to CUR
- GIF to DDS
- GIF to FIT
- GIF to APK
- GIF to CDR
- GIF to DST
- GIF to MP4
- GIF to PES
- GIF to XLS
- GIF to 3MF
- GIF to GRD
- GIF to HPGL
- GIF to LMK
- GIF to MPE
- GIF to PIC
- GIF to PPF
- GIF to SDR
- GIF to TGA
- GIF to WEBP
- GIF to DRAW
- GIF to JPG-LARGE
- GIF to V2Y
- GIF to ASCII
- GIF to FBX
- GIF to JEF
- GIF to JPEG
- GIF to MOV
- GIF to PAT
- GIF to SVG
- GIF to TIF
- GIF to TXT
- GIF to XLSX
How to associate the file with an installed software?
If you want to associate a file with a new program (e.g. my-file.GIF) you have two ways to do it. The first and the easiest one is to right-click on the selected GIF file. From the drop-down menu select "Choose default program", then click "Browse" and find the desired program. The whole operation must be confirmed by clicking OK. The second and more difficult to do is associate the GIF file extension to the corresponding software in the Windows Registry.
Is there one way to open unknown files?
Many files contain only simple text data. It is possible that while opening unknown files (e.g. GIF) with a simple text editor like Windows Notepad will allow us to see some of the data encoded in the file. This method allows you to preview the contents of many files, but probably not in such a structure as a program dedicated to support them.