Updated at: Jun 26, 2024
Your browser has a list of MIME Types which helps it understand how to process files it receives from a webserver.
Every time your web browser receives a file from a web server, the server includes a "Content Type" description for that file. Your web browser then matches that "Content Type" with its own list of "MIME Types" that it knows how to deal with, in order to understand how it should handle that particular file.
For example, if you viewed a JPEG image on a web page, the web server will have included a Content Type of "image/jpeg" as your browser downloaded it. This then lets your computer know that it's an image in the JPEG format, and so it should treat it as such and try and show it on the screen.
MIME stands for "Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions". The concept of MIME Types was originally created to be used with email programs; hence the "Mail" part of the acronym. MIME Types are now also used by web browsers.
The IANA (Internet Assigned Numbers Authority) keeps an extensive list of the defined MIME Types. You can view it at: http://www.freeformatter.com/mime-types-list.html
Some web browsers don't allow the MIME types they support to be detected - presumably for privacy reasons - and as a result this page isn't able to show you the list of MIME types it supports. We're not aware of any websites that this causes a problem for but if you know of any, we're curious and would be keen to hear about it.