Adding MIME types

MIME types set what a file is, or rather what file extensions refer to what file types. For example, a '.html' file extension refers to a HTML document, a '.zip' file extension refers to a ZIP archive file. The server needs to know this so it knows how to deal with the file. This is often used to create custom file extension for common file types.To setup a MIME type, create a .htaccess file following the main instructions and guidance which includes the following text:

AddType text/html htm0

'AddType' specifies that you are adding a MIME type. The second part is the MIME type, in this case text or HTML, and the final part is the file extension, in this example 'htm0'.

A common issue with MP3 or SWF files not playing can be resolved with the following text:

AddType application/x-shockwave-flash swf

A handy trick, to force a file to be downloaded, via the 'Save As' feature in the web browser, set the MIME type to application/octet-stream and the browser will immediately prompt for download. Note, this does not work consistently in some versions of Microsoft Internet Explorer.

Here is a list of various MIME types and some associations:

AddType text/html .html .htm AddType text/plain .txt AddType text/richtext .rtx AddType text/tab-separated-values .tsv AddType text/x-setext .etx AddType text/x-server-parsed-html .shtml .sht AddType application/macbinhex-40 .hqx AddType application/netalivelink .nel AddType application/netalive .net AddType application/news-message-id AddType application/news-transmission AddType application/octet-stream .bin .exe AddType application/oda .oda AddType application/pdf .pdf AddType application/postscript .ai .eps .ps AddType application/remote-printing AddType application/rtf .rtf AddType application/slate AddType application/zip .zip AddType application/x-mif .mif AddType application/wita AddType application/wordperfect5.1 AddType application/x-csh .csh AddType application/x-dvi .dvi AddType application/x-hdf .hdf AddType application/x-latex .latex AddType application/x-netcdf .nc .cdf AddType application/x-sh .sh AddType application/x-tcl .tcl AddType application/x-tex .tex AddType application/x-texinfo .texinfo .texi AddType application/x-troff .t .tr .roff AddType application/x-troff-man .man AddType application/x-troff-me .me AddType application/x-troff-ms .ms AddType application/x-wais-source .src AddType application/x-bcpio .bcpio AddType application/x-cpio .cpio AddType application/x-gtar .gtar AddType application/x-shar .shar AddType application/x-sv4cpio .sv4cpio AddType application/x-sv4crc .sv4crc AddType application/x-tar .tar AddType application/x-ustar .ustar AddType application/x-director .dcr AddType application/x-director .dir AddType application/x-director .dxr AddType application/x-onlive .sds AddType application/x-httpd-cgi .cgi AddType image/gif .gif .GIF AddType image/ief .ief AddType image/jpeg .jpeg .jpg .jpe .JPG AddType image/tiff .tiff .tif AddType image/x-cmu-raster .ras AddType image/x-portable-anymap .pnm AddType image/x-portable-bitmap .pbm AddType image/x-portable-graymap .pgm AddType image/x-portable-pixmap .ppm AddType image/x-rgb .rgb AddType image/x-xbitmap .xbm AddType image/x-xpixmap .xpm AddType image/x-xwindowdump .xwd AddType audio/basic .au .snd AddType audio/x-aiff .aif .aiff .aifc AddType audio/x-wav .wav AddType audio/x-pn-realaudio .ram AddType audio/x-midi .mid AddType video/mpeg .mpeg .mpg .mpe AddType video/quicktime .qt .mov AddType video/x-msvideo .avi AddType video/x-sgi-movie .movie AddType message/external-body AddType message/news AddType message/partial AddType message/rfc822 AddType multipart/alternative AddType multipart/appledouble AddType multipart/digest AddType multipart/mixed AddType multipart/parallel AddType x-world/x-vrml .wrl