About the MIME Type Lookup
A MIME type, or media type, tells a browser or server what kind of data a file holds: image/png for a PNG picture, application/json for JSON, text/html for a web page. This lookup lists the types for about 80 common file extensions. Type an extension with or without the dot, a MIME type or a word from the description, and it shows the matches. Type a file extension, a MIME type or a word and the MIME types appears at once, with a few related figures underneath, and you can copy the result with one tap. The sums run in your browser, so nothing you enter is uploaded.
Updated October 2026
How to use the MIME Type Lookup
- 1Enter a file extension, a MIME type or a word.
- 2Pick the units or options from the menus if the MIME types tool offers them.
- 3Read the MIME types in the large result box.
- 4Look at the extra rows for related figures.
- 5Press Copy result to keep the answer.
When you need the MIME types
Developers need MIME types when they set up a web server, write an upload form that accepts certain files, send email attachments or build an API that returns files. A wrong type can make a browser download a page instead of showing it, or refuse a script.
The word in front of the slash is the main type: text, image, audio, video, application or font. Types starting with application/vnd. belong to a particular vendor's format, which is why Office files have long names.
How the MIME types is worked out
The MIME type has two parts: a type and a subtype, separated by a slash, such as image/png. The server sends it in the Content-Type header. The extension .png maps to image/png. The extension .json maps to application/json, .pdf to application/pdf, .mp4 to video/mp4 and .docx to application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document. Searching for image/jpeg shows both .jpg and .jpeg.
Every answer on this page comes from that one rule, so you can check any result by hand with a calculator. The figures shown underneath, such as other units, are conversions of the same answer.
- 79 common types
- Search by extension or type
- Notes on each format
Mistakes to avoid with MIME types
A few extensions have more than one type in use, and some types changed over time. For example JavaScript is now text/javascript, YAML is application/yaml and Windows programs have an official type that differs from the older application/x-msdownload. The tool shows the current registered or common one.
On phone and computer
On a phone, type into the boxes one after another and read the MIME types underneath; Copy result puts it on the clipboard for a message or a note. On a computer the inputs sit on the left and the answer on the right, so you can change one figure and watch the MIME types move. The mime type lookup works the same on both. A MIME type is one of the details a server sends back. See the full list with the HTTP Header Lookup, understand the response code with the HTTP Status Code Lookup, and turn small files into a data URI using the Base64 to Image Converter.
Features
- Content-Type header
- Wrong type breaks display
- Vendor types are long
- Clear messages when the MIME types inputs make no sense
- Copy the result with one tap
- Private: nothing is uploaded
Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate MIME types?
The MIME type has two parts: a type and a subtype, separated by a slash, such as image/png. The server sends it in the Content-Type header. The extension .png maps to image/png. The extension .json maps to application/json, .pdf to application/pdf, .mp4 to video/mp4 and .docx to application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document. Searching for image/jpeg shows both .jpg and .jpeg.
What is the formula for MIME types?
The MIME type has two parts: a type and a subtype, separated by a slash, such as image/png. The server sends it in the Content-Type header. The mime type lookup applies it exactly and rounds only the displayed answer to six significant figures.
What happens if the MIME type is wrong?
The browser may show a file as text, offer it for download or block a script.
What is application/octet-stream?
A generic type for binary data of unknown kind. Browsers usually download it.
Where do I set the MIME type?
In the Content-Type header of the response, or in the server's configuration for file extensions.
Is this mime type lookup free and private?
Yes. It is free, needs no account and runs in your browser, so the numbers you type are not uploaded or stored.