GIF87 File Format (.gif87)

A GIF87 file follows the original 1987 Graphics Interchange Format specification that CompuServe published two years before GIF89a added transparency and animation, so it stores a single, fully opaque image using the same LZW compression and 256-color palette as any other GIF.

.gif87Image Files

GIF87 at a glance#

Full name	CompuServe graphics interchange format
File extension	.gif87
Category	Image Files
Developer	CompuServe
First released	1987
MIME types	image/gif
Other extensions	.gif
Compression	Lossless
FileFlip support	FileFlip reads and writes this format

What a .gif87 file can hold#

These are the things a GIF87 file either supports or does not, and they are what decides whether a conversion keeps everything or quietly drops something.

Transparency (alpha channel)	No
Animation	No
Lossless compression	Yes
Embedded metadata	No

Strengths and limitations of GIF87#

What GIF87 does well

Decodes correctly in every GIF reader ever written, since GIF89a was designed as a backward-compatible extension of it
Uses the same LZW compression and 256-color palette as any GIF, so file size doesn't suffer for using the older header

Where GIF87 falls short

No transparency support at all; every pixel is fully opaque
No animation support, so multi-frame images aren't possible
No comment or application metadata blocks, which GIF89a added

There's essentially no reason to target GIF87 today; write a plain GIF, which is GIF89a, instead unless a specific tool or test needs the older header.

Convert to GIF89a or PNG when the image needs transparency or animation, since GIF87 supports neither.

How to open a .gif87 file#

A .gif87 file opens in the programs below, grouped by the platform you are on. If you would rather not install anything, FileFlip converts GIF87 into a format your machine already opens, and it does it in the browser tab rather than on a server.

Platform	Programs that open it
Windows	Photos, Paint, IrfanView
macOS	Preview, GIMP
Linux	GIMP, ImageMagick
Web	FileFlip, any web browser

GIF87 questions people ask#

What is a GIF87 file?

A GIF87 file follows the original 1987 Graphics Interchange Format specification that CompuServe published before adding transparency and animation in 1989's GIF89a. It stores a single, fully opaque static image.

What's the difference between GIF87 and GIF89a?

GIF89a, released in 1989, added the features people now associate with GIF: transparent backgrounds, multi-frame animation, and comment or application metadata blocks. GIF87, the original 1987 version, has none of those and can only hold one static, opaque image.

Do modern browsers still support GIF87 files?

Yes. GIF89a was designed as a backward-compatible extension of GIF87, so every GIF reader that handles modern animated GIFs also reads a plain GIF87 file without any issue.

Converting GIF87 files#

Every conversion runs inside your browser. The file is read from your disk, the work happens on your own machine, and nothing is uploaded. How FileFlip works names the engine behind each family and how to verify that for yourself.