What is MIME type "application/x-ms-compress-sz"?

A MIME type is a string that tells browsers and other tools how to handle a particular kind of file.

application/x‐ms‐compress‐sz is a MIME type for files compressed with a Microsoft method. It tells applications that the data uses a specialized compression algorithm designed for fast processing and reduced storage.
This format often appears in internal system tasks and update packages. The compression keeps data intact until software decompresses it.

A file using this type may have the extension EX$. It is not meant for everyday file handling but for system-level efficiency.

• System efficiency: Cuts down file sizes to improve transfer speeds.
• Update processes: Often used in packaging and deploying updates.
• Data integrity: Retains original content until actively decompressed.

For more details on MIME types, see Mozilla Developer Network.

Associated file extensions

.ex$

Usage Examples

HTTP Header

When serving content with this MIME type, set the Content-Type header:

    Content-Type: application/x-ms-compress-sz
  

HTML

In HTML, you can specify the MIME type in various elements:

    <a href="file.dat" type="application/x-ms-compress-sz">Download file</a>
  

Server-side (Node.js)

Setting the Content-Type header in Node.js:

    const http = require('http');
    
    http.createServer((req, res) => {
      res.setHeader('Content-Type', 'application/x-ms-compress-sz');
      res.end('Content here');
    }).listen(3000);
  

Associated file extensions

.ex$