🔍 MIME Type Finder
Professional MIME type lookup tool that identifies correct content-type headers for file extensions. Essential for web developers, server configuration, API development, and file handling with comprehensive database of 500+ MIME types.
MIME Type Results:
MIME Type Lookup Results
Found 3 file extensions with MIME type information
JPEG image format - widely supported compressed image format
Portable Document Format - standard for document exchange
HTML markup language - foundation of web pages example
How to Use This MIME Type Finder
How to Use the MIME Type Finder
- Enter File Extension(s): Type one or more file extensions in the input field. You can include or omit the dot (both "jpg" and ".jpg" work), and use any case (JPG, jpg, Jpg all work).
- Multiple Extensions: For bulk lookups, separate multiple extensions with commas like: "jpg, pdf, mp4, html, css"
- Choose Output Format:
- MIME Type Only - Just the content-type string for quick copy-paste
- MIME Type + Description - Includes file format explanation
- Complete Details - Full information including file category and usage
- Enable Options: Check "Show alternative MIME types" to see all valid options for formats that have multiple standards, and enable "Auto-normalize extensions" to handle formatting automatically.
- Get Results: Click "Find MIME Type" to get instant results with copy-friendly formatting for your development workflow.
The tool works entirely offline with no network requests, using a comprehensive built-in database of over 500 file formats and their corresponding MIME types.
How It Works
How MIME Type Lookup Works
- Extension Parsing: The tool normalizes your input by removing extra whitespace, handling optional dots, and converting to lowercase for consistent matching.
- Database Search: Each extension is matched against our comprehensive MIME type database containing 500+ registered file formats from IANA and industry standards.
- Result Compilation: Found MIME types are formatted according to your selected output level, with primary and alternative types when available.
- Format Classification: Results include file category classification (image, document, video, etc.) and detailed descriptions for better understanding.
- Copy-Ready Output: All results are formatted for easy copying into configuration files, code, or server settings.
Our database includes standard IANA registered MIME types, common vendor-specific types, and legacy formats still in use across web and enterprise systems.
MIME Type Structure
MIME types follow the format type/subtype where:
- Type: General category (image, text, application, video, audio)
- Subtype: Specific format (jpeg, plain, pdf, mp4, mpeg)
- Examples: image/jpeg, text/html, application/pdf, video/mp4
When You Might Need This
- • Configure web server content-type headers for file uploads and downloads
- • Set correct MIME types in HTTP API responses for different file formats
- • Validate file types in web application forms and security policies
- • Email attachment MIME type configuration for proper client handling
- • Content delivery network (CDN) file type setup and optimization
- • Browser file handling and download behavior configuration
- • Mobile app file type association setup for iOS and Android
- • Database file storage metadata configuration and content classification
- • Security policy content type validation and malware prevention
- • Cross-platform file type compatibility checking for enterprise systems
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the difference between MIME types and file extensions?
MIME types tell applications and browsers how to handle content, while file extensions are just naming conventions. MIME types are used in HTTP headers, email systems, and APIs to specify the actual content format. A file extension like .jpg is just a hint, but the MIME type image/jpeg definitively tells the system it's a JPEG image that should be processed accordingly.
Why do some file extensions have multiple MIME types?
Different applications, standards, or historical reasons can cause the same file format to have multiple valid MIME types. For example, .js files can use text/javascript or application/javascript, and both are correct depending on context. Our tool shows the most common/preferred MIME type first, with alternatives available when you enable that option.
Are MIME types case-sensitive in practice?
MIME types are officially case-insensitive according to the specification, but some web servers, applications, or legacy systems may treat them as case-sensitive. It's best practice to use lowercase MIME types consistently (like image/jpeg, not Image/JPEG) to ensure maximum compatibility across all systems and avoid unexpected behavior.
What happens if I use the wrong MIME type for a file?
Using incorrect MIME types can cause browsers to misinterpret content, leading to files being downloaded instead of displayed, security warnings, or complete failure to process the content. For example, serving an image with text/plain MIME type will show raw binary data instead of the image. Always use the correct MIME type for proper user experience and functionality.
How often do MIME types change or get updated?
MIME types are registered with IANA (Internet Assigned Numbers Authority) and are generally very stable once established. New MIME types are added for emerging file formats, but existing ones rarely change to maintain backward compatibility. Major updates might occur every few years as new media types are standardized, but common types like image/jpeg or text/html remain constant.