Which MIME types are related to file extension ".mp4"?

The .mp4 file extension is associated with 24 MIME types:

video/mp4, application/mp4, audio/mp4, application/mpeg4-iod, application/mpeg4-iod-xmt, video/mp4v-es, video/mpeg4-generic, application/x-dtbncx+xml, application/x-dtbook+xml, audio/mpeg, audio/mpeg4-generic, audio/x-wav, text/xml, application/octet-stream, audio/aac, audio/aacp, audio/mp4a, audio/mp4a-latm, audio/mpga, audio/x-aac, audio/x-m4a, audio/x-m4b, audio/x-m4p, audio/x-mp4a-latm.

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

About .mp4 Files

MP4 files are digital containers that hold multimedia content. They store video and audio streams using various MIME types.

They use video/mp4 as the standard for playing video. Other types like application/mp4 and audio/mp4 indicate formats for MPEG-4 media or audio-only tracks. MIME types such as video/mp4v-es and video/mpeg4-generic refer to Version 2 of the standard. Some types support advanced streaming and codec features like Advanced Audio Coding (AAC) through labels like audio/aac, audio/mp4a-latm, and others.

MP4 files can also serve specialized purposes. For example, certain MIME types list support for Digital Talking Books (e.g., application/x-dtbncx+xml). Others, like application/octet-stream, are used in surveillance systems such as Hikvision DVRs.

Multimedia Playback: Used for movies, online videos, and streaming content.
Audio Storage: Holds music, podcasts, and other audio data with AAC encoding.
Digital Publishing: Employed for Digital Talking Books and interactive media.
Surveillance: Utilized by some DVR systems for storing video recordings.

Common software to open or edit MP4 files includes VLC Media Player, Windows Media Player, QuickTime, and editing apps like Adobe Premiere Pro.

Based on information from FilExt.com, MP4 files are a versatile and widely supported container for multimedia data.

Relationship between file extension and MIME type

A file extension is a suffix at the end of a filename that indicates what type of file it is. File extensions help both users and operating systems identify what application should be used to open the file.

File extensions are typically separated from the filename by a period (dot) and consist of 2-4 characters, though they can be longer. For example, in the filename "document.pdf", ".pdf" is the file extension.

File extensions are closely related to MIME types, as they both serve to identify the format of a file. However, while MIME types are used primarily by web browsers and servers, file extensions are used by operating systems and applications.

Associated MIME types

FAQ

What is a MIME type?

A MIME (Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions) type is a standard that indicates the nature and format of a document, file, or assortment of bytes. MIME types are defined and standardized in IETF's RFC 6838.

MIME types are important because they help browsers and servers understand how to process a file. When a browser receives a file from a server, it uses the MIME type to determine how to display or handle the content, whether it's an image to display, a PDF to open in a viewer, or a video to play.

MIME types consist of a type and a subtype, separated by a slash (e.g., text/html, image/jpeg, application/pdf). Some MIME types also include optional parameters.

How do I find the MIME type for a file?

You can check the file extension or use a file identification tool such as file --mime-type on the command line. Many programming languages also provide libraries to detect MIME types.

Why can one extension have multiple MIME types?

Different programs and historical usage may assign various MIME identifiers to the same file format. Listing them together helps maintain compatibility across tools.