.MID file signature
A Midi file begins with the bytes 4D 54 68 64 (MThd in ASCII) at the start of the file. The signature is the same whatever the file is named, which is why a renamed or extensionless MIDI file is still recognisable.
Signature
| Offset | Hex | ASCII |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | 4D 54 68 64 | MThd |
MIME type: audio/midi · usual extensions: .mid, .midi
How to check a file's signature
Without installing anything: drop the file on our detector. It reads the bytes in your browser and shows the hex dump alongside the verdict; nothing is uploaded.
macOS and Linux (Terminal):
xxd -l 32 file.mid
file file.midWindows (PowerShell):
Format-Hex -Path file.mid -Count 32If the bytes do not match
A file named .mid whose first bytes are something else is not a MIDI file. The common explanations are a wrong or deliberately misleading extension, a download that saved an HTML error page instead of the file, or a container such as ZIP wrapping the real content. The detector reports what the bytes say; the MIDI guide explains what a genuine file should contain.