Which MIME types are related to file extension ".txt"?
The .txt file extension is associated with 8 MIME types:
text/plain, image/ascii-art, text/vnd.ascii-art, text/x-ascii-art, text/json, application/octet-stream, text/xml, text/asciidoc.
A MIME type is a string that tells browsers and other tools how to handle a particular kind of file.
About .txt Files
TXT files are simple text documents that store unformatted data. They primarily use the text/plain MIME type, which means they hold pure text without special formatting.
They are easy to create and widely supported by basic editors like Notepad, TextEdit, and advanced ones like Visual Studio Code or Sublime Text. These files are used for taking notes, writing code, creating logs, or saving configuration information.
They can also be interpreted by specialized MIME types, which highlight their versatile use:
- text/plain: Standard plain text files.
- image/ascii-art, text/vnd.ascii-art, text/x-ascii-art: Used for ASCII art, which is a way to create images with text characters.
- text/json: Sometimes used for backup files like those from the Samourai Bitcoin wallet, storing data in a readable JSON structure.
- application/octet-stream: Can indicate files like HotHelp Text, where the content is still text-based but treated as a generic binary stream.
- text/xml: Used when the file contains XML data, such as SEC EDGAR documents.
- text/asciidoc: Marks files that use AsciiDoc, a text-based markup language.
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
text/plain, image/ascii-art, text/vnd.ascii-art, text/x-ascii-art, text/json, application/octet-stream, text/xml, text/asciidoc
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.