Copyright Office acceptable file types for photos: JPEG, TIFF, HEIC, RAW and PNG

Group photo claims: JPEG, GIF or TIFF

The GRPPH and GRUPH help pages say: "The photographs must be in one of the following formats: JPEG, GIF, or TIFF" (GRPPH help, GRUPH help). Circular 42 says the same: "You must submit one digital copy of each photograph in a JPEG, GIF, or TIFF format."

The general eCO list

The Office's Acceptable File Types page lists the formats eCO accepts across all kinds of works. For images it includes .bmp, .gif, .jpg, .jpeg, .jfif, .pdf, .pict, .png, .psd, .tga, .tif and .tiff, among others. That list applies to claims such as the Single or Standard Application. For group photo claims, follow the narrower JPEG, GIF or TIFF rule on the group help pages.

Why the file type matters

The Office warns: "If you submit a file type that is not listed, registration may be refused and you may be required to submit an acceptable file type that can be opened by the Copyright Office. Your effective date of registration will not be established until the Copyright Office receives an acceptable file type that can be opened and examined by the Office" (Acceptable File Types). A wrong format can cost you time and move your effective date (see how long registration takes).

Common photo formats

Format	Group claim (GRPPH, GRUPH)	What to do
JPEG (.jpg, .jpeg)	Accepted	Nothing; the usual choice.
TIFF (.tif, .tiff)	Accepted	Fine, but large; watch the 500 MB limit.
GIF	Accepted	Rare for photos.
HEIC (iPhone)	Not listed	Export as JPEG, or set the camera to Most Compatible.
Camera RAW (.cr3, .nef, .arw, .dng)	Not listed	Export JPEG or TIFF from your editor.
PNG	Not in the group list	Re-save as JPEG.
WebP	Not listed	Re-save as JPEG.
PSD	Not in the group list	Export JPEG or TIFF.

When you export, keep the file name you will use in the titles list. The file name of each photo "should match the corresponding file names provided in your title list" (GRPPH help), and changing the extension or adding "copy" to a name breaks the match. See titles list file names.

Register My Photos flags any photo that is not JPEG, GIF or TIFF, re-saves PNG and WebP as JPEG for you, and keeps the file names in the titles list in step. Check your photos.

The titles list

The titles list is a separate file. Circular 42 says it "must be submitted in Excel (.xls, .xlsx), Portable Document Format (PDF), or other electronic format approved by the Office" (Circular 42). The Office provides templates for published and unpublished groups.

Size limits and zip files

• "The maximum size for each file is 500 MB (regardless of file type)" (Acceptable File Types).
• For groups, the Office "strongly encourages you to combine the photos and the title list in a .zip file" and says "The photos may be compressed to comply with this requirement" (GRPPH help).
• A zip does not change the rules for what is inside it: "The file(s) in a .zip file must also be submitted in an acceptable file format. Compressed files containing unacceptable file types will be refused" (Acceptable File Types).
• Over 500 MB, the eCO FAQ suggests zipping or breaking the upload "into two or more smaller files so that no file exceeds 500 MB" (eCO FAQ). See the 750 photo limit for splitting large batches.

Questions

Sources

• eCO Acceptable File Types (checked 24 October 2026)
• GRPPH help (checked 24 October 2026)
• GRUPH help (checked 24 October 2026)
• Circular 42: Copyright Registration of Photographs (checked 24 October 2026)
• eCO FAQ (checked 24 October 2026)