MS Excel has the following observed MIME types:
application/vnd.ms-excel(official)application/msexcelapplication/x-msexcelapplication/x-ms-excelapplication/x-excelapplication/x-dos_ms_excelapplication/xlsapplication/x-xlsapplication/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.spreadsheetml.sheet(xlsx)
Is there any one type that would work for all versions? If not, do we need to set response.setContentType() with each one of these mime types individually?
Also, we use file streaming in our application to display document (not just excel — any type of document). In doing so, how can we retain the filename if the user opts to save the file — currently, the name of the servlet that renders the file appears as the default name.
asked Jun 10, 2009 at 7:07
5
I believe the standard MIME type for Excel files is application/vnd.ms-excel.
Regarding the name of the document, you should set the following header in the response:
header('Content-Disposition: attachment; filename="name_of_excel_file.xls"');
answered Dec 26, 2009 at 19:44
jbochijbochi
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7
Waking up an old thread here I see, but I felt the urge to add the «new» .xlsx format.
According to http://filext.com/file-extension/XLSX the extension for .xlsx is application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.spreadsheetml.sheet. It might be a good idea to include it when checking for mime types!
Dave Jarvis
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answered Apr 20, 2012 at 12:39
Karlis RodeKarlis Rode
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1
For .xls use the following content-type
application/vnd.ms-excel
For Excel 2007 version and above .xlsx files format
application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.spreadsheetml.sheet
answered Apr 6, 2019 at 7:21
Du-LacosteDu-Lacoste
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I was setting MIME type from .NET code as below —
File(generatedFileName, "application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.spreadsheetml.sheet")
My application generates excel using OpenXML SDK. This MIME type worked —
vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.spreadsheetml.sheet
answered Jun 21, 2016 at 17:01
I am using EPPlus to generate .xlsx (OpenXML format based) excel file. For sending this excel file as attachment in email I use the following MIME type and it works fine with EPPlus generated file and opens properly in ms-outlook mail client preview.
string mimeType = "application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.spreadsheetml.sheet";
System.Net.Mime.ContentType contentType = null;
if (mimeType?.Length > 0)
{
contentType = new System.Net.Mime.ContentType(mimeType);
}
answered Nov 1, 2018 at 11:25
Vishwajit GVishwajit G
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For anyone who is still stumbling with this after using all of the possible MIME types listed in the question:
I have found that iMacs tend to also throw a MIME type of «text/xls» for XLS Excel files, hope this helps.
answered May 25, 2016 at 18:58
be_esbe_es
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This topic lists the most common MIME types with corresponding document types, ordered by their common extensions.
The following two important MIME types are the default types:
text/plainis the default value for textual files. A textual file should be human-readable and must not contain binary data.application/octet-streamis the default value for all other cases. An unknown file type should use this type. Browsers are particularly careful when manipulating these files to protect users from software vulnerabilities and possible dangerous behavior.
IANA is the official registry of MIME media types and maintains a list of all the official MIME types. This table lists important MIME types for the Web:
| Extension | Kind of document | MIME Type |
|---|---|---|
.aac |
AAC audio | audio/aac |
.abw |
AbiWord document | application/x-abiword |
.arc |
Archive document (multiple files embedded) | application/x-freearc |
.avif |
AVIF image | image/avif |
.avi |
AVI: Audio Video Interleave | video/x-msvideo |
.azw |
Amazon Kindle eBook format | application/vnd.amazon.ebook |
.bin |
Any kind of binary data | application/octet-stream |
.bmp |
Windows OS/2 Bitmap Graphics | image/bmp |
.bz |
BZip archive | application/x-bzip |
.bz2 |
BZip2 archive | application/x-bzip2 |
.cda |
CD audio | application/x-cdf |
.csh |
C-Shell script | application/x-csh |
.css |
Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) | text/css |
.csv |
Comma-separated values (CSV) | text/csv |
.doc |
Microsoft Word | application/msword |
.docx |
Microsoft Word (OpenXML) | application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document |
.eot |
MS Embedded OpenType fonts | application/vnd.ms-fontobject |
.epub |
Electronic publication (EPUB) | application/epub+zip |
.gz |
GZip Compressed Archive | application/gzip |
.gif |
Graphics Interchange Format (GIF) | image/gif |
.htm, .html |
HyperText Markup Language (HTML) | text/html |
.ico |
Icon format | image/vnd.microsoft.icon |
.ics |
iCalendar format | text/calendar |
.jar |
Java Archive (JAR) | application/java-archive |
.jpeg, .jpg |
JPEG images | image/jpeg |
.js |
JavaScript | text/javascript (Specifications: HTML and RFC 9239) |
.json |
JSON format | application/json |
.jsonld |
JSON-LD format | application/ld+json |
.mid, .midi |
Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI) | audio/midi, audio/x-midi |
.mjs |
JavaScript module | text/javascript |
.mp3 |
MP3 audio | audio/mpeg |
.mp4 |
MP4 video | video/mp4 |
.mpeg |
MPEG Video | video/mpeg |
.mpkg |
Apple Installer Package | application/vnd.apple.installer+xml |
.odp |
OpenDocument presentation document | application/vnd.oasis.opendocument.presentation |
.ods |
OpenDocument spreadsheet document | application/vnd.oasis.opendocument.spreadsheet |
.odt |
OpenDocument text document | application/vnd.oasis.opendocument.text |
.oga |
OGG audio | audio/ogg |
.ogv |
OGG video | video/ogg |
.ogx |
OGG | application/ogg |
.opus |
Opus audio | audio/opus |
.otf |
OpenType font | font/otf |
.png |
Portable Network Graphics | image/png |
.pdf |
Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) | application/pdf |
.php |
Hypertext Preprocessor (Personal Home Page) | application/x-httpd-php |
.ppt |
Microsoft PowerPoint | application/vnd.ms-powerpoint |
.pptx |
Microsoft PowerPoint (OpenXML) | application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.presentationml.presentation |
.rar |
RAR archive | application/vnd.rar |
.rtf |
Rich Text Format (RTF) | application/rtf |
.sh |
Bourne shell script | application/x-sh |
.svg |
Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) | image/svg+xml |
.tar |
Tape Archive (TAR) | application/x-tar |
.tif, .tiff |
Tagged Image File Format (TIFF) | image/tiff |
.ts |
MPEG transport stream | video/mp2t |
.ttf |
TrueType Font | font/ttf |
.txt |
Text, (generally ASCII or ISO 8859-n) | text/plain |
.vsd |
Microsoft Visio | application/vnd.visio |
.wav |
Waveform Audio Format | audio/wav |
.weba |
WEBM audio | audio/webm |
.webm |
WEBM video | video/webm |
.webp |
WEBP image | image/webp |
.woff |
Web Open Font Format (WOFF) | font/woff |
.woff2 |
Web Open Font Format (WOFF) | font/woff2 |
.xhtml |
XHTML | application/xhtml+xml |
.xls |
Microsoft Excel | application/vnd.ms-excel |
.xlsx |
Microsoft Excel (OpenXML) | application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.spreadsheetml.sheet |
.xml |
XML | application/xml is recommended as of RFC 7303 (section 4.1), but text/xml is still used sometimes. You can assign a specific MIME type to a file with .xml extension depending on how its contents are meant to be interpreted. For instance, an Atom feed is application/atom+xml, but application/xml serves as a valid default. |
.xul |
XUL | application/vnd.mozilla.xul+xml |
.zip |
ZIP archive | application/zip |
.3gp |
3GPP audio/video container | video/3gpp; audio/3gpp if it doesn’t contain video |
.3g2 |
3GPP2 audio/video container | video/3gpp2; audio/3gpp2 if it doesn’t contain video |
.7z |
7-zip archive | application/x-7z-compressed |
MIME (Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions) is a media type used to identify a type of data on the Internet or by applications. Its name contains the word «Internet» but it is not only limited to the Internet.IANA is in charge of standardizing and disseminating these MIME classifications.
There are numerous popular extensions available among them. One of them is the Excel MIME type.
Every mime type is divided into two parts, which are separated by a slash (/).
1 Type is a logical grouping of many MIME types that are similar to one another. All Excel files have an application as a type.
2 SubType is specific to a single file type within the «type«.They are unique within the «type».Some of the subtypes for excel files are: vnd.ms-excel,vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.spreadsheetml.sheet,vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.spreadsheetml.template,vnd.ms-excel.sheet.macroEnabled.12 etc.
There are various MIME types for Excel for various Excel-related files and their extensions such as. xls,.xlsx,.xlt,.xla, and so on.
Let’s look at Excel file MIME Type and extension used by them in table format.
| Extension | MIME Type (Type / SubType) | Kind of Document |
| .xls | application/vnd.ms-excel | Microsoft Excel |
| .xlsx | application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.spreadsheetml.sheet | Microsoft Excel (OpenXML) |
| .xltx | application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.spreadsheetml.template | Office Excel 2007 template |
| .xlsm | application/vnd.ms-excel.sheet.macroEnabled.12 | Office Excel 2007 macro-enabled workbook |
| .xltm | application/vnd.ms-excel.template.macroEnabled.12 | Office Excel 2007 macro-enabled workbook template |
| .xlam | application/vnd.ms-excel.addin.macroEnabled.12 | Office Excel 2007 macro-enabled add-in |
| .xlsb | application/vnd.ms-excel.sheet.binary.macroEnabled.12 | Office Excel 2007 non xml binary workbook |
Let’s explain them in brief.
1 .xls
.xls is one of the older file extension of Microsoft Excel Spreadsheet.It is created by Excel 97 or Excel 2003. They by default generate .xls format.
MIME Type Supported by .xls file is application/vnd.ms-excel where the application of MIME type and vnd.ms-excel is subtypes and vnd here means vendor-specific which in this case vendor is Microsoft.
If you have an.xls file and want to open it in Excel before prior 2007, you can do so easily because Excel before 2007 recognizes application/vnd.ms-excel and does not require to afford to open it.
Despite the fact that the.xls file format is older, it can be opened in all versions of Excel due to backward compatibility in newer versions.
2 .xlsx
xlsx is the new file extension of the Microsoft Excel Spreadsheet. It is created by Excel 2007 and later versions.
If you create an excel file in Excel 2007 or later, it will be saved with the.xlsx extension by default; however, you can also save the same file in.xls format.xlsx is more secure and better for data storage(ie. smaller file size) than xls.
MIME type for .xlsx file is application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.spreadsheetml.sheet where MIME type is application and subtype is vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.spreadsheetml.sheet
It is a file format based on Office OPEN XML developed by Microsoft for representing spreadsheets. Because xlsx is an open standard, other software application vendors, such as Google (Google Sheets), can use it to interoperate with their spreadsheet applications.
📑 The last «x» in the xlsx file extension indicates that the file is based on the XML Standard.
You can open Xls file in excel 2007 and later and convert them to xlsx and save it.
3 .xltx
Microsoft Excel Template files with the. xltx extensions are based on the Office OpenXML file format specifications. It is used to generate a standard template file that can be used to generate XLSX files with the same settings as the XLTX file.
MIME type for .xlsx file is application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.spreadsheetml.template where MIME type is application and subtype is vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.spreadsheetml.sheet
It is XML based file format developed by Microsoft for representing templates. An XLTX is identical to an XLSX in every way except that Excel creates a new instance of an XLSX if the file opened is an XLTX.
📓 xltx is the replacement for the old .xlt format.
4 .xlsm
An XLSM file is a macro-enabled spreadsheet created by Microsoft Excel that can also be opened with Google Sheets.XLSM files are based on the Office Open XML format, where the last «m» of an xlsm file extension indicates that the file contains macros.Macros can be stored within an xlsm file, allowing users to automate repetitive tasks.
MIME type for .xlsx file is application/vnd.ms-excel.sheet.macroEnabled.12 where MIME type is application and subtype is vnd.ms-excel.sheet.macroEnabled.12
5 .xlam
An XLAM file extension indicates an Excel Macro-Enabled Add-In file, which is used to provide additional functionality for spreadsheets.
It has the following MIME types:application/vnd.ms-excel.template.macroEnabled.12 where MIME type is application and subtype is vnd.ms-excel.template.macroEnabled.12
Because of the file’s purpose, there is built-in macro support in .xlam files.
6 .xlsb
An XLSB file is an Excel Binary Workbook file that stores data in binary rather than XML format. Because they are stored in binary, the read and write times in xlsb files are faster, and they have been found to be useful for very large and complex spreadsheets for this reason. They are also smaller in size than the XLSM format.
MIME type for .xlsx file is application/vnd.ms-excel.sheet.binary.macroEnabled.12 where MIME type is application and subtype is vnd.ms-excel.sheet.binary.macroEnabled.12
FAQ:
How to generate .xls file in C# ?
For generating a .xls file in C# code you have to mention application/vnd.ms-excel MIME types in response header as shown below.
Response.ContentType = "application/vnd.ms-excel";
Response.AppendHeader("content-disposition", "attachment; filename=sample.xls");
How to generate .xlsx file in C#?
For generating a .xls file in C# code you have to mention application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.spreadsheetml.sheet MIME types in response header as shown below.
Response.ContentType = "application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.spreadsheetml.sheet";
Response.AppendHeader("content-disposition", "attachment; filename=sample.xls");
If you are generating Excel file target to xlsx file then you have to use above.
What is the replacement of the xla format?
Ans: xlam is the replacement for the old .xla format.
This is a list of the MIME Types of all well known and lesser known file formats and kinds of documents from the Microsoft Office family.
You can find the MIME Types in the table ordered by the corresponding application Microsoft Word, Excel, Power Point and Access as well as the extension of the file.
Microsoft Word
| Extension | MIME-Type |
| DOC | application/msword |
| DOCX | application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document |
| DOT | application/msword |
| DOTX | application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.template |
| DOCM | application/vnd.ms-word.document.macroEnabled.12 |
| DOTM | application/vnd.ms-word.template.macroEnabled.12 |
| DOCM | application/vnd.ms-word.document.macroEnabled.12 |
| DOTM | application/vnd.ms-word.template.macroEnabled.12 |
| WORD | application/msword |
| W6W | application/msword |
Microsoft Excel
| Extension | MIME-Type |
| XLS | application/msexcel |
| XLSX | application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.spreadsheetml.sheet |
| XLT | application/msexcel |
| XLTX | application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.spreadsheetml.template |
| XLA | application/msexcel |
| XLW | application/msexcel |
| XLSM | application/vnd.ms-excel.sheet.macroEnabled.12 |
| XLSB | application/vnd.ms-excel.sheet.binary.macroEnabled.12 |
| XLTM | application/vnd.ms-excel.template.macroEnabled.12 |
| XLAM | application/vnd.ms-excel.addin.macroEnabled.12 |
Microsoft PowerPoint
| Extension | MIME-Type |
| PPT | application/mspowerpoint |
| PPTX | application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.presentationml.presentation |
| POT | application/mspowerpoint |
| POTX | application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.presentationml.template |
| PPS | application/mspowerpoint |
| PPSX | application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.presentationml.slideshow |
| PPA | application/mspowerpoint |
| PPAM | application/vnd.ms-powerpoint.addin.macroEnabled.12 |
| PPTM | application/vnd.ms-powerpoint.presentation.macroEnabled.12 |
| PPSM | application/vnd.ms-powerpoint.slideshow.macroEnabled.12 |
| POTM | application/vnd.ms-powerpoint.template.macroEnabled.12 |
Microsoft Access
| Extension | MIME-Type |
| MDB | application/msaccess |
| ACCDA | application/msaccess |
| ACCDB | application/msaccess |
| ACCDE | application/msaccess |
| ACCDR | application/msaccess |
| ACCDT | application/msaccess |
| ADE | application/msaccess |
| ADP | application/msaccess |
| ADN | application/msaccess |
| MDE | application/msaccess |
| MDF | application/msaccess |
| MDN | application/msaccess |
| MDT | application/msaccess |
| MDW | application/msaccess |
Other
| Extension | MIME-Type |
| CALCX | application/vnd.ms-office.calx |
| HLP (Microsoft Windows Help) | application/x-winhelp |
| MPP (Microsoft Project) | application/msproject |
| THMX | application/vnd.ms-officetheme |
| WRI (Microsoft Write) | application/mswrite |
I hope, I could help you with this list. If I should have forgotten something, just write a comment.