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Windows (.bmp)

.bmp file signature | image/bmp

Windows (or device-independent) bitmap imageNOTE:Bytes 2-5 contain the file length in little-endian order.

Safe

Magic Bytes

Offset 0
42 4D

Sources: Apache Tika, Wikipedia, Gary Kessler, Neil Harvey FileSignatures

Extension

.bmp

MIME Type

image/bmp

Byte Offset

0

Risk Level

Safe

Validation Code

How to validate .bmp files in Python

Python
def is_bmp(file_path: str) -> bool:
    """Check if file is a valid BMP by magic bytes."""
    signature = bytes([0x42, 0x4D])
    with open(file_path, "rb") as f:
        return f.read(2) == signature

How to validate .bmp files in Node.js

Node.js
function isBMP(buffer: Buffer): boolean {
  const signature = Buffer.from([0x42, 0x4D]);
  return buffer.subarray(0, 2).equals(signature);
}

How to validate .bmp files in Go

Go
func IsBMP(data []byte) bool {
    signature := []byte{0x42, 0x4D}
    if len(data) < 2 {
        return false
    }
    return bytes.Equal(data[:2], signature)
}

API Endpoint

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

See the full API documentation for all endpoints and parameters.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a .bmp file?

A .bmp file is a Windows file. Windows (or device-independent) bitmap imageNOTE:Bytes 2-5 contain the file length in little-endian order.

What are the magic bytes for .bmp files?

The magic bytes for Windows files are 42 4D at byte offset 0. These bytes uniquely identify the file format regardless of the file extension.

How do I validate a .bmp file?

To validate a .bmp file, read the first bytes of the file and compare them against the known magic bytes (42 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 .bmp files?

The primary MIME type for .bmp files is image/bmp.

Is it safe to open .bmp files?

Windows (.bmp) 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.