What is MIME Type Lookup?
MIME types (Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions) are standardized identifiers that specify the nature and format of documents, files, and byte sequences. They're essential for web development - HTTP headers use MIME types (Content-Type) to tell browsers how to handle responses, and file uploads require MIME types for proper server processing. This reference covers common MIME types for text, images, audio, video, documents, archives, and more.
How to Use
- Search by MIME type name (like 'image/png') or file extension (like '.jpg')
- Filter by category: Text, Images, Audio, Video, Application, or Fonts
- Click on any MIME type to see detailed information
- Copy the MIME type for use in your code or HTTP headers
- Reference the usage examples for HTTP headers and HTML attributes
Why Use This Tool?
Tips & Best Practices
- Always specify charset for text MIME types (charset=utf-8)
- Use application/octet-stream for unknown binary files
- multipart/form-data is required for file uploads in forms
- application/json is standard for API request/response bodies
- SVG images use image/svg+xml MIME type
- Web fonts use font/woff and font/woff2 types
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a MIME type?
MIME type is a standardized string that identifies file format and content type. It consists of a type (like 'image') and subtype (like 'png'), separated by a slash. HTTP uses MIME types in Content-Type headers to specify how clients should process content.
How do I set Content-Type header?
In HTTP responses, set Content-Type: application/json for JSON data, Content-Type: text/html; charset=utf-8 for HTML pages, Content-Type: image/png for PNG images, etc. Always include charset parameter for text types to prevent encoding issues.
What MIME type for file uploads?
For HTML file uploads, use enctype='multipart/form-data' on the form element. Each uploaded file gets its own MIME type. In API requests, use multipart/form-data content type when sending files along with other data.
What's the difference between text/javascript and application/javascript?
Both refer to JavaScript files. text/javascript is legacy but still widely supported. application/javascript is the official MIME type per RFC 4329. Modern browsers treat them equivalently, but application/javascript is preferred for new implementations.
Why do some MIME types have charset?
Charset specifies character encoding for text-based content. Without charset, browsers may misinterpret characters (especially non-ASCII). UTF-8 is standard: Content-Type: text/html; charset=utf-8 ensures proper rendering of international characters.
What MIME type for JSON API responses?
Use Content-Type: application/json for JSON API responses. This tells clients the response is JSON and should be parsed accordingly. Optionally add charset=utf-8 though JSON is defined as UTF-8 by specification.