TIFF viewing options for Mac users are limited.
Our Viewing TIFF Images page lists only one plug-in that supports Mac.
This page has a little more information on viewing TIFFs on a Mac.
If you have anything to add, please send it to
The problem some viewing options is that there's no pan and zoom feature. That is, you see the entire image at once, without the ability to magnify detailed areas.
To get a better look at an image, each TIFF file can be downloaded. Once downloaded, a standalone program such as Photoshop or GraphicConverter can be used view the image with pan and zoom. Downloading is not straightforward with QuickTime. Unfortunately there doesn't seem to be an option to save a file while it's being displayed by QuickTime within the browser window.
When the source pages include a separate listing of TIFF file names you can go there and hold the mouse button down on a link until the pop-up menu appears with the option to "Download Link to Disk." After downloading the file can be opened in PhotoShop or other application software that supports TIFF..
There may be better options for viewing TIFFs on a Mac, but we haven't had the opportunity to explore them.