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DeluxePaint Animation file (.anm)

.anm file signature | application/octet-stream

DeluxePaint Animation (ANM) is a legacy bitmap animation file format originally created for DeluxePaint by Electronic Arts for the Amiga platform. It was used to store frame-based animations with delta compression for games, demos, and multimedia presentations, and is still encountered in archival artwork and retro software tools. The format is generally safe to inspect, though support is limited in modern applications and files may require legacy-compatible viewers or converters.

Safe

Magic Bytes

Offset 0
46 4F 52 4D

Sources: Gary Kessler

All Known Signatures

2 signature variants are documented for .anm files across multiple sources.

Hex Signature Offset Sources
46 4F 52 4D 0 Gary Kessler
4C 50 46 20 00 01 0 Gary Kessler

Extension

.anm

MIME Type

application/octet-stream

Byte Offset

0

Risk Level

Safe

Validation Code

How to validate .anm files in Python

Python 
def is_anm(file_path: str) -> bool:
    """Check if file is a valid ANM by magic bytes."""
    signature = bytes([0x46, 0x4F, 0x52, 0x4D])
    with open(file_path, "rb") as f:
        return f.read(4) == signature

How to validate .anm files in Node.js

Node.js 
function isANM(buffer: Buffer): boolean {
  const signature = Buffer.from([0x46, 0x4F, 0x52, 0x4D]);
  return buffer.subarray(0, 4).equals(signature);
}

How to validate .anm files in Go

Go 
func IsANM(data []byte) bool {
    signature := []byte{0x46, 0x4F, 0x52, 0x4D}
    if len(data) < 4 {
        return false
    }
    return bytes.Equal(data[:4], signature)
}

API Endpoint

GET /api/v1/anm
curl https://filesignature.org/api/v1/anm

See the full API documentation for all endpoints and parameters.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a .anm file?

A .anm file is a DeluxePaint Animation file file. DeluxePaint Animation (ANM) is a legacy bitmap animation file format originally created for DeluxePaint by Electronic Arts for the Amiga platform. It was used to store frame-based animations with delta compression for games, demos, and multimedia presentations, and is still encountered in archival artwork and retro software tools. The format is generally safe to inspect, though support is limited in modern applications and files may require legacy-compatible viewers or converters.

What are the magic bytes for .anm files?

The magic bytes for DeluxePaint Animation file files are 46 4F 52 4D at byte offset 0. These bytes uniquely identify the file format regardless of the file extension.

How do I validate a .anm file?

To validate a .anm file, read the first bytes of the file and compare them against the known magic bytes (46 4F 52 4D) at offset 0. This is more reliable than checking the file extension alone, as extensions can be renamed.

What is the MIME type for .anm files?

There is no officially registered MIME type for .anm files. Systems typically use application/octet-stream as a generic fallback when handling this format.

Is it safe to open .anm files?

DeluxePaint Animation file (.anm) files are generally safe to open. They are classified as low risk because they primarily contain data rather than executable code. However, always ensure files come from a trusted source.