--- title: "MIME Type Finder" description: "Find MIME types for any file extension or search by MIME type to discover associated file formats. Look up content types for images, documents, audio, video, and more. Essential for web developers configuring servers and APIs." url: https://findutils.com/network/mime-type-finder/ category: network --- # MIME Type Finder Find MIME types for any file extension or search by MIME type to discover associated file formats. Look up content types for images, documents, audio, video, and more. Essential for web developers configuring servers and APIs. **Use this tool:** [MIME Type Finder](https://findutils.com/network/mime-type-finder/) ## Programmatic access - REST id `mime-type-finder`: POST https://api.findutils.com/api/tools/mime-type-finder/execute (reference: https://findutils.com/api/mime-type-finder/) - MCP tool `mime_type_finder` on https://mcp.findutils.com (reference: https://findutils.com/mcp/mime-type-finder/) ## Why Use MIME Type Finder? MIME types (Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions) tell browsers and servers how to handle different file formats. Configuring the correct MIME type is critical for serving files on the web — an incorrect Content-Type header can cause browsers to download files instead of displaying them, break API responses, or trigger security warnings. Our MIME Type Finder lets you search by file extension or MIME type string to instantly find the correct mapping. Whether you're setting up server configurations (like Nginx or Apache mime.types), building file upload validation, configuring API response headers, or troubleshooting why a file isn't rendering correctly in the browser, this tool provides the authoritative MIME type for hundreds of file formats. Browse by category — images, documents, audio, video, fonts, archives, and code — or search for any extension or type to get exactly what you need. ## Tips for Working with MIME Types - Always set the X-Content-Type-Options: nosniff header alongside your MIME types. This prevents browsers from MIME-sniffing and forces them to trust the declared Content-Type, improving security. - Use 'application/octet-stream' only as a last resort for unknown binary files. Browsers will always download files with this MIME type rather than attempting to display them. - For modern web fonts, prefer WOFF2 format with 'font/woff2' MIME type. It offers the best compression and is supported by all modern browsers. - When serving JSON APIs, always use 'application/json' with charset=utf-8. Some older frameworks default to 'text/html' which can cause parsing failures in API clients. - Remember that MIME types are case-insensitive per the RFC standard, but convention is to use lowercase. Always write 'image/png' not 'Image/PNG' in your configurations. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is a MIME type? A MIME type is a two-part identifier (like 'image/png' or 'application/json') that describes the format of a file. The first part is the type category (image, application, text, audio, video) and the second part is the specific format. Servers use MIME types in Content-Type headers to tell browsers how to process the data. ### Can I search by file extension? Yes. Type any file extension like 'pdf', 'jpg', 'csv', or 'woff2' and the tool will show you the corresponding MIME type. You can also search by the MIME type itself (like 'application/json') to find its associated extensions. ### What is the difference between 'application/json' and 'text/json'? The correct MIME type for JSON is 'application/json' as defined in RFC 8259. While 'text/json' was used informally in the past, it was never an official standard. Always use 'application/json' for API responses and JSON files. ### How many MIME types are included? Our database includes 200+ MIME types covering all common file formats across categories including images (PNG, JPEG, SVG, WebP), documents (PDF, DOCX, XLSX), audio (MP3, WAV, OGG), video (MP4, WebM), fonts (WOFF2, TTF), archives (ZIP, TAR), and code/data formats (JSON, XML, CSV). ### Where should I set MIME types on my server? MIME types are typically configured in your web server's configuration. For Nginx, use the 'types' directive or the mime.types file. For Apache, use AddType directives in.htaccess or httpd.conf. For Node.js/Express, the 'mime' or 'mime-types' npm package handles this automatically. In API responses, set the Content-Type header directly. ### What is the correct MIME type for SVG files? The correct MIME type for SVG files is 'image/svg+xml'. This applies to both inline SVG and SVG files served from a web server. If your server serves SVGs with 'text/html' or 'application/octet-stream', the browser may not render them correctly or will prompt a download instead. ### What MIME type should I use for a REST API that returns JSON? Use 'application/json' as the Content-Type header for all JSON API responses. This tells the client to parse the body as JSON. For JSON with padding (JSONP), use 'application/javascript'. Never use 'text/plain' for JSON responses as it prevents automatic parsing in most HTTP clients. ### Why does my file download instead of displaying in the browser? This usually happens when the server sends the wrong Content-Type header or uses 'application/octet-stream' as a fallback. Browsers display files they recognize (HTML, images, PDF, SVG) but download anything with an unknown or binary MIME type. Use this tool to find the correct MIME type for your file and update your server configuration. ### Is there a difference between MIME type and Content-Type? A MIME type is the format identifier itself (like 'text/html' or 'image/png'). Content-Type is the HTTP header that carries the MIME type along with optional parameters like charset. For example, 'Content-Type: text/html; charset=utf-8' uses the MIME type 'text/html' with a UTF-8 character encoding parameter. ### Does this MIME type lookup tool require a signup? No. FindUtils MIME Type Finder is available with no signup, no usage limits. The entire database loads in your browser so searches are instant and nothing is sent to any server. ## Related Tools - [HTTP Status Code Lookup](https://findutils.com/network/http-status-code-lookup/) - [HTML Entity Finder](https://findutils.com/developers/html-entity-finder/) - [cURL to Code](https://findutils.com/developers/curl-to-code/) - [API Docs Generator](https://findutils.com/developers/api-docs-generator/) - [Security Headers Analyzer](https://findutils.com/network/security-headers-analyzer/) - [Base64 Encoder](https://findutils.com/developers/base64-encoder/) - [URL Encoder/Decoder](https://findutils.com/network/url-encoder-decoder/) - [File Hash Calculator](https://findutils.com/security/file-hash-calculator/)