Object Linking and Embedding magic bytes (.dot)
.dot file signature: D0 CF 11 E0 A1 B1 1A E1 | application/msword
Category: Office
An Object Linking and Embedding (OLE) Compound File is a structured storage format developed and maintained by Microsoft. It is used by Microsoft Office 97–2003 applications, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and related document templates. The format is legacy and largely superseded by newer Office file types; it has limited public documentation and, like other compound documents, should be handled cautiously when obtained from untrusted sources.
Magic Bytes
Offset 0
D0 CF 11 E0 A1 B1 1A E1
Sources: Apache Tika, Gary Kessler
All Known Signatures
9 signature variants are documented for .dot files across multiple sources.
| Hex Signature | Offset | Sources |
|---|---|---|
| D0 CF 11 E0 A1 B1 1A E1 | 0 | Apache Tika, Gary Kessler |
| 4D 69 63 72 6F 73 6F 66 74 20 57 6F 72 64 20 36 2E 30 20 44 6F 63 75 6D 65 6E 74 | 2080 | Apache Tika |
| 44 6F 63 75 6D 65 6E 74 6F 20 4D 69 63 72 6F 73 6F 66 74 20 57 6F 72 64 20 36 | 2080 | Apache Tika |
| 4D 53 57 6F 72 64 44 6F 63 | 2112 | Apache Tika |
| 31 BE 00 00 | 0 | Apache Tika |
| 50 4F 5E 51 60 | 0 | Apache Tika |
| FE 37 00 23 | 0 | Apache Tika |
| DB A5 2D 00 00 00 | 0 | Apache Tika |
| 94 A6 2E | 0 | Apache Tika |
Validation Code
How to validate .dot files in Python
def is_dot(file_path: str) -> bool:
"""Check if file is a valid DOT by magic bytes."""
signature = bytes([0xD0, 0xCF, 0x11, 0xE0, 0xA1, 0xB1, 0x1A, 0xE1])
with open(file_path, "rb") as f:
return f.read(8) == signatureHow to validate .dot files in Node.js
function isDOT(buffer: Buffer): boolean {
const signature = Buffer.from([0xD0, 0xCF, 0x11, 0xE0, 0xA1, 0xB1, 0x1A, 0xE1]);
return buffer.subarray(0, 8).equals(signature);
}How to validate .dot files in Go
func IsDOT(data []byte) bool {
signature := []byte{0xD0, 0xCF, 0x11, 0xE0, 0xA1, 0xB1, 0x1A, 0xE1}
if len(data) < 8 {
return false
}
return bytes.Equal(data[:8], signature)
}API Endpoint
/api/v1/dot
curl https://filesignature.org/api/v1/dot
See the full API documentation for all endpoints and parameters.
Related Formats
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a .dot file?
A .dot file is an Object Linking and Embedding file. An Object Linking and Embedding (OLE) Compound File is a structured storage format developed and maintained by Microsoft. It is used by Microsoft Office 97–2003 applications, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and related document templates. The format is legacy and largely superseded by newer Office file types; it has limited public documentation and, like other compound documents, should be handled cautiously when obtained from untrusted sources.
What are the magic bytes for .dot files?
The magic bytes for Object Linking and Embedding (.dot) files are D0 CF 11 E0 A1 B1 1A E1 at byte offset 0. These bytes identify the file format more reliably than the extension alone.
How do I validate a .dot file?
To validate a .dot file, read the first bytes of the file and compare them against the known magic bytes (D0 CF 11 E0 A1 B1 1A E1) at offset 0. This is more reliable than checking the file extension alone, as extensions can be renamed.
What is the MIME type for .dot files?
The primary MIME type for .dot files is application/msword.
Is it safe to open .dot files?
Object Linking and Embedding (.dot) 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.