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MIME Type Lookup

Look up MIME types by file extension.

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Extension MIME Type Category Description Copy

MIME Type Lookup is a fast reference for finding the right Content-Type header for any file. Search by extension, browse by category, or look up a MIME type string to see what it actually means. It is built for web developers, backend engineers, and anyone debugging file uploads, downloads, or email attachments.

How to Use

  • Search: Type a file extension like .webp or a MIME type like video/mp4 to get an instant match.
  • Browse: Filter the list by category — image, audio, video, application, font — to explore related types.
  • Copy: Click any result to copy the full MIME type string to your clipboard.

Features

  • 40+ MIME types covering images, audio, video, documents, fonts, and archives
  • Instant search by extension or type string
  • Category filtering for quick browsing
  • One-click copy to clipboard
  • Runs entirely in your browser — nothing is uploaded

What are MIME Types?

MIME (Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions) types were originally invented for email so messages could carry more than plain ASCII text. They follow a simple type/subtype format — such as image/png or application/pdf — and are registered and maintained by the IANA.

Today they do far more than label email attachments. When a web server returns a file, it declares the MIME type in the Content-Type header, and the browser uses it to decide whether to render the content, hand it to a plugin, or trigger a download. A wrong or missing type is behind many everyday bugs: broken images, pages that lose all styling because CSS was served as text/plain, and JavaScript modules the browser refuses to execute.

Use Cases

  • Setting the correct Content-Type header in an API or file server response
  • Debugging why a browser downloads a file instead of displaying it
  • Finding the right value for the accept attribute on HTML file inputs
  • Configuring upload validation in forms and cloud storage (like S3 presigned URLs)
  • Hand-writing email attachments or MIME multipart messages

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a MIME type?

MIME type tells browsers and servers what kind of file is being transferred.

Why do I need to know MIME types?

MIME types are essential for HTTP headers, email attachments, and file handling.

Why does my file download instead of opening in the browser?

The server is likely sending application/octet-stream or a wrong Content-Type header, so the browser saves the file instead of rendering it.

What is application/octet-stream?

It is the generic binary type, used when the server does not know or does not want to reveal the real file type.