What Are Mime Types?

MIME Types tell browsers how to handle specific file extensions. For example, the text/html MIME Types equates to .htm, .html, and .shtml extensions on most servers, telling your browser to interpret all files with those extensions as HTML files. You can alter or add new MIME Types specifically for your site (Note: You cannot alter the system defined MIME Types values). MIME Types are often used to handle new technologies as they appear.

Mime Types can be compared to file extensions on your computer operating system. File extensions tell the operating system how to handle the file and what to open, run or view the file with. However, in the case of Mime Types, it tells the web server that is hosting the file what type of file it is and what to use to open, run or view the file with. Sometimes within the users web browser or e-mail application.

Why Would I Add More Mime Types?

In some instances you may have a file that is not already recognized by the web server. This in turn would mean that the web server will not know how to serve this file to the user. This can result in unexpected behavior. Adding a file extension relationship to a Mime Type will identify that type of file to the web server and what the web server should use so that the user can open, run or view the file on the web server through the application (such as a web browser).

What Kind of Files Do We Mean?

Some examples of Mime Types once they are added are: