What Is a File Extension and MIME Type?

A multipurpose internet mail extension, or MIME type, is an internet standard that describes the contents of internet files based on their natures and formats. This cataloging helps the browser open the file with the appropriate extension or plugin. Although the term includes the word "mail" for electronic mail, it's used for web pages, too.

Defining MIME Types

MIME types contain two parts: a type and a sub-type.

• The type describes the categorization of MIME types linked to each other.
• In contrast, a subtype is unique to a specific file type that is part of the type.

Here is the MIME type for HTML:

text/html

MIME types are defined in HTML by the type attribute on links, objects, and script and style tags.

Distinguishing Among MIME Types

Following is a list of most MIME types, their file extensions, and the applications that use them. Many computers use file extensions to identify file types. So, if you have a file with an odd extension on your website, you can look up the MIME type in this list.

Some types come with the X prefix, and some have the prefix VND. These prefixes, respectively, refer to sub-types not listed with the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority or values specific to a vendor.

MIME Types: Applications

Here's a broad list of MIME types by application and file extension.

MIME Types: Sound Files

This list details common sound file MIME types by file extension and application.

MIME Types: Image Files

Image files also come in various MIME types by application.

MIME Types: Mail Message Files

Mail message files come in these MIME types and file extensions.

MIME Types: Text Files

You might encounter text files in the following MIME types and with these familiar file extensions.

MIME Types: Video Files

This table lists video file MIME types and commonly used applications.

MIME Types: Virtual World Files

This list covers virtual world file MIME types by application.