MIME Type Lookup
Look up MIME types by file extension or find file extensions for MIME types with this comprehensive MIME type reference tool. Quickly identify the correct Content-Type header for any file format or discover which extensions correspond to a specific MIME type. Essential for web development, file uploads, and HTTP header configuration.
Frequently asked questions
A MIME type (Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions) tells browsers and servers what type of content a file contains (e.g., text/html, image/jpeg). It's crucial for proper file handling, downloads, and Content-Type HTTP headers.
Enter the file extension (e.g., 'pdf', 'jpg', 'json') and the tool will show you the corresponding MIME type (e.g., 'application/pdf', 'image/jpeg', 'application/json') along with any alternative MIME types.
Yes, you can enter a MIME type (e.g., 'video/mp4') and the tool will show you all common file extensions associated with that MIME type, helping you understand which formats use that type.
Some file formats have evolved or have vendor-specific variations, resulting in multiple valid MIME types. For example, Excel files can use 'application/vnd.ms-excel' or 'application/x-msexcel'.
When implementing file upload functionality, you need to validate MIME types and set correct Content-Type headers. This tool helps you ensure you're accepting and serving files with the proper MIME type configuration.
Yes, the database includes modern formats like WebP images, WebM video, WOFF fonts, and other contemporary web file formats alongside traditional formats.
Use application/json as it's the official, standardized MIME type for JSON data defined in RFC 4627. While text/json works in many cases, application/json is the correct choice for APIs and ensures proper handling by clients, proxies, and browsers. Modern applications should always use application/json.
The Content-Type MIME type tells browsers how to handle responses. application/octet-stream forces downloads, while image/jpeg displays inline. Use Content-Disposition: attachment to force downloads regardless of MIME type. For user-uploaded files, validate both the file extension and MIME type to prevent security issues like uploaded PHP files disguised as images.
Web servers rely on MIME type mappings (usually in mime.types or .htaccess files). New or uncommon file extensions may not be configured. Add mappings manually: in Apache, use AddType; in nginx, edit mime.types. For custom APIs, set Content-Type headers explicitly in your application code to ensure correct MIME types.
Yes, for text-based MIME types, include charset to specify encoding: text/html; charset=UTF-8 or application/json; charset=UTF-8. This ensures proper character rendering, especially for international content. UTF-8 is the recommended charset for web content as it supports all Unicode characters and is widely compatible.