# Frequently Asked Questions

If you don't find an answer to your question here, please look through our
detailed documentation for the topic or file a
[GitHub issue](https://github.com/tensorflow/tensorflow/issues).

## Model Conversion

#### What formats are supported for conversion from TensorFlow to TensorFlow Lite?

The TensorFlow Lite converter supports the following formats:

*   SavedModels:
    [TFLiteConverter.from_saved_model](../convert/python_api.md#exporting_a_savedmodel_)
*   Frozen GraphDefs generated by
    [freeze_graph.py](https://github.com/tensorflow/tensorflow/blob/master/tensorflow/python/tools/freeze_graph.py):
    [TFLiteConverter.from_frozen_graph](../convert/python_api.md#exporting_a_graphdef_from_file_)
*   tf.keras HDF5 models:
    [TFLiteConverter.from_keras_model_file](../convert/python_api.md#exporting_a_tfkeras_file_)
*   tf.Session:
    [TFLiteConverter.from_session](../convert/python_api.md#exporting_a_graphdef_from_tfsession_)

The recommended approach is to integrate the
[Python converter](../convert/python_api.md) into your model pipeline in order to
detect compatibility issues early on.

#### Why doesn't my model convert?

Since the number of TensorFlow Lite operations is smaller than TensorFlow's,
some inference models may not be able to convert. For unimplemented operations,
take a look at the question on
[missing operators](faq.md#why-are-some-operations-not-implemented-in-tensorflow-lite).
Unsupported operators include embeddings and LSTM/RNNs. For models with
LSTM/RNNs, you can also try the experimental API
[OpHint](https://www.tensorflow.org/api_docs/python/tf/lite/OpHint) to convert.
Models with control flow ops (Switch, Merge, etc) are not convertible at the
moment, but we are working on adding support for control flow in Tensorflow
Lite, please see
[GitHub issues](https://github.com/tensorflow/tensorflow/issues/28485).

For conversion issues not related to missing operations or control flow ops,
search our
[GitHub issues](https://github.com/tensorflow/tensorflow/issues?q=label%3Acomp%3Alite+)
or file a [new one](https://github.com/tensorflow/tensorflow/issues).

#### How do I determine the inputs/outputs for GraphDef protocol buffer?

The easiest way to inspect a graph from a `.pb` file is to use
[Netron](https://github.com/lutzroeder/netron), an open-source viewer for
machine learning models.

If Netron cannot open the graph, you can try the
[summarize_graph](https://github.com/tensorflow/tensorflow/blob/master/tensorflow/tools/graph_transforms/README.md#inspecting-graphs)
tool.

If the summarize_graph tool yields an error, you can visualize the GraphDef with
[TensorBoard](https://www.tensorflow.org/guide/summaries_and_tensorboard) and
look for the inputs and outputs in the graph. To visualize a `.pb` file, use the
[`import_pb_to_tensorboard.py`](https://github.com/tensorflow/tensorflow/blob/master/tensorflow/python/tools/import_pb_to_tensorboard.py)
script like below:

```shell
python import_pb_to_tensorboard.py --model_dir <model path> --log_dir <log dir path>
```

#### How do I inspect a `.tflite` file?

[Netron](https://github.com/lutzroeder/netron) is the easiest way to visualize a
TensorFlow Lite model.

If Netron cannot open your TensorFlow Lite model, you can try the
[visualize.py](https://github.com/tensorflow/tensorflow/blob/master/tensorflow/lite/tools/visualize.py)
script in our repository.

If you're using TF 2.5 or a later version

```shell
python -m tensorflow.lite.tools.visualize model.tflite visualized_model.html
```

Otherwise, you can run this script with Bazel

*   [Clone the TensorFlow repository](https://www.tensorflow.org/install/source)
*   Run the `visualize.py` script with bazel:

```shell
bazel run //tensorflow/lite/tools:visualize model.tflite visualized_model.html
```

## Models & Operations

#### Why are some operations not implemented in TensorFlow Lite?

In order to keep TensorFlow Lite lightweight, only certain operations were used
in the converter. The [Compatibility Guide](ops_compatibility.md) provides a
list of operations currently supported by TensorFlow Lite.

If you don’t see a specific operation (or an equivalent) listed, it's likely
that it has not been prioritized. The team tracks requests for new operations on
GitHub [issue #21526](https://github.com/tensorflow/tensorflow/issues/21526).
Leave a comment if your request hasn’t already been mentioned.

In the meanwhile, you could try implementing a
[custom operator](ops_custom.md) or using a different model that only
contains supported operators. If binary size is not a constraint, try using
TensorFlow Lite with [select TensorFlow ops](ops_select.md).

#### How do I test that a TensorFlow Lite model behaves the same as the original TensorFlow model?

The best way to test the behavior of a TensorFlow Lite model is to use our API
with test data and compare the outputs to TensorFlow for the same inputs. Take a
look at our [Python Interpreter example](../convert/python_api.md) that generates
random data to feed to the interpreter.

## Optimization

#### How do I reduce the size of my converted TensorFlow Lite model?

[Post-training quantization](../performance/post_training_quantization.md) can
be used during conversion to TensorFlow Lite to reduce the size of the model.
Post-training quantization quantizes weights to 8-bits of precision from
floating-point and dequantizes them during runtime to perform floating point
computations. However, note that this could have some accuracy implications.

If retraining the model is an option, consider
[Quantization-aware training](https://github.com/tensorflow/tensorflow/tree/r1.13/tensorflow/contrib/quantize).
However, note that quantization-aware training is only available for a subset of
convolutional neural network architectures.

For a deeper understanding of different optimization methods, look at
[Model optimization](../performance/model_optimization.md).

#### How do I optimize TensorFlow Lite performance for my machine learning task?

The high-level process to optimize TensorFlow Lite performance looks something
like this:

*   *Make sure that you have the right model for the task.* For image
    classification, check out our [list of hosted models](hosted_models.md).
*   *Tweak the number of threads.* Many TensorFlow Lite operators support
    multi-threaded kernels. You can use `SetNumThreads()` in the
    [C++ API](https://github.com/tensorflow/tensorflow/blob/master/tensorflow/lite/interpreter.h#L345)
    to do this. However, increasing threads results in performance variability
    depending on the environment.
*   *Use Hardware Accelerators.* TensorFlow Lite supports model acceleration for
    specific hardware using delegates. See our
    [Delegates](../performance/delegates.md) guide for information on what
    accelerators are supported and how to use them with your model on-device.
*   *(Advanced) Profile Model.* The Tensorflow Lite
    [benchmarking tool](https://github.com/tensorflow/tensorflow/tree/master/tensorflow/lite/tools/benchmark)
    has a built-in profiler that can show per-operator statistics. If you know
    how you can optimize an operator’s performance for your specific platform,
    you can implement a [custom operator](ops_custom.md).

For a more in-depth discussion on how to optimize performance, take a look at
[Best Practices](../performance/best_practices.md).
