Mime Types

Free online tool. All processing is client-side. No signup needed.

How to Use the Mime Types

1. Enter your input values above
2. Results update automatically
3. Copy or download the output

What is a Mime Types?

A MIME Types reference provides a searchable database of all MIME (Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions) types — the standardized identifiers that define the format and nature of files on the internet. Every file served over HTTP has a MIME type (Content-Type header): `text/html` for web pages, `image/png` for PNG images, `application/pdf` for PDFs, `application/json` for JSON data. This reference lets you look up the correct MIME type for any file extension, or find what file extension corresponds to a MIME type — essential for web servers, API development, and file handling.

How Does It Work?

Browse MIME types by category (text, image, audio, video, application, multipart, font, model) or search by file extension or type name. Each entry shows the full MIME type, file extension(s), a brief description, and typical use. Categories include common web formats, programming languages, office documents, archives, fonts, and many specialized formats.

Formula

MIME Type Structure: type/subtype[+suffix][;parameter=value]\n\nMajor Categories:\n• text/ — text data: text/html, text/css, text/csv, text/plain, text/javascript\n• image/ — visual: image/png, image/jpeg, image/gif, image/svg+xml, image/webp, image/avif\n• audio/ — sound: audio/mpeg, audio/ogg, audio/wav, audio/flac, audio/aac\n• video/ — moving: video/mp4, video/webm, video/ogg, video/mpeg\n• application/ — structured: application/json, application/pdf, application/zip, application/xml, application/octet-stream (binary)\n• multipart/ — combined: multipart/form-data, multipart/alternative\n• font/ — web fonts: font/woff2, font/woff, font/ttf\n• model/ — 3D: model/gltf+json, model/stl\n\nCommon and Useful:\n• application/javascript (.js)\n• application/wasm (.wasm)\n• application/x-www-form-urlencoded (HTML form default)\n• application/ld+json (JSON-LD, structured data)

Who Uses This Tool?

• Web developers setting correct Content-Type headers on web servers
• API developers returning proper MIME types for file downloads
• System administrators configuring web server MIME type maps
• Software engineers handling file upload validation by MIME type
• Anyone debugging 'file downloads instead of displays' issues in browsers

Pro Tips

• The browser uses the Content-Type header (not the file extension) to decide how to render content. If your CSS file is served as text/plain, browsers won't apply the styles
• For file uploads, validate both MIME type (from Content-Type) AND magic bytes (file signature). MIME types can be spoofed; magic bytes confirm actual format
• New image formats: image/webp (lossy+lossless, widely supported), image/avif (even better compression, growing support). Serve with <picture> for fallback
• Nginx: check /etc/nginx/mime.types. Apache: check /etc/apache2/mime.types. Adding new MIME types to your server config prevents 'application/octet-stream' downloads

Frequently Asked Questions about Mime Types

What MIME type should I use for JSON?

application/json is the standard. For JSON-LD (structured data), use application/ld+json. For JSONP (legacy), use application/javascript. Never use text/plain for JSON — it prevents proper handling.

Why is my file downloading as application/octet-stream?

application/octet-stream is the generic binary fallback when the server doesn't recognize the file extension. Browsers treat it as 'download this file' rather than 'display it.' Fix by adding the correct MIME type mapping in your web server configuration.

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