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MOD (.mod)

.mod file signature | audio/x-mod

MOD is a tracker module audio file format that originated on the Amiga with Ultimate Soundtracker and is maintained through community use rather than a formal standards body. It is used for chiptune-style music, game soundtracks, and archival playback in tracker applications and media players. The format is largely legacy, but files are generally safe to open; risk is limited to parser bugs in older players or converters.

Safe

Magic Bytes

Offset 0
45 78 74 65 6E 64 65 64 20 4D 6F 64 75 6C 65 3A

Sources: Apache Tika

All Known Signatures

15 signature variants are documented for .mod files across multiple sources.

Hex Signature Offset Sources
45 78 74 65 6E 64 65 64 20 4D 6F 64 75 6C 65 3A 0 Apache Tika
42 4D 4F 44 32 53 54 4D 21 Apache Tika
4D 2E 4B 2E 1080 Apache Tika
4D 21 4B 21 1080 Apache Tika
46 4C 54 34 1080 Apache Tika
46 4C 54 38 1080 Apache Tika
34 43 48 4E 1080 Apache Tika
36 43 48 4E 1080 Apache Tika
38 43 48 4E 1080 Apache Tika
43 44 38 31 1080 Apache Tika
4F 4B 54 41 1080 Apache Tika
31 36 43 4E 1080 Apache Tika
33 32 43 4E 1080 Apache Tika
49 4D 50 4D 0 Apache Tika
7F 45 4C 46 0 Wikipedia

Extension

.mod

MIME Type

audio/x-mod

Byte Offset

0

Risk Level

Safe

Validation Code

How to validate .mod files in Python

Python 
def is_mod(file_path: str) -> bool:
    """Check if file is a valid MOD by magic bytes."""
    signature = bytes([0x45, 0x78, 0x74, 0x65, 0x6E, 0x64, 0x65, 0x64, 0x20, 0x4D, 0x6F, 0x64, 0x75, 0x6C, 0x65, 0x3A])
    with open(file_path, "rb") as f:
        return f.read(16) == signature

How to validate .mod files in Node.js

Node.js 
function isMOD(buffer: Buffer): boolean {
  const signature = Buffer.from([0x45, 0x78, 0x74, 0x65, 0x6E, 0x64, 0x65, 0x64, 0x20, 0x4D, 0x6F, 0x64, 0x75, 0x6C, 0x65, 0x3A]);
  return buffer.subarray(0, 16).equals(signature);
}

How to validate .mod files in Go

Go 
func IsMOD(data []byte) bool {
    signature := []byte{0x45, 0x78, 0x74, 0x65, 0x6E, 0x64, 0x65, 0x64, 0x20, 0x4D, 0x6F, 0x64, 0x75, 0x6C, 0x65, 0x3A}
    if len(data) < 16 {
        return false
    }
    return bytes.Equal(data[:16], signature)
}

API Endpoint

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

See the full API documentation for all endpoints and parameters.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a .mod file?

A .mod file is identified by the magic bytes 45 78 74 65 6E 64 65 64 20 4D 6F 64 75 6C 65 3A at byte offset 0. MOD is a tracker module audio file format that originated on the Amiga with Ultimate Soundtracker and is maintained through community use rather than a formal standards body. It is used for chiptune-style music, game soundtracks, and archival playback in tracker applications and media players. The format is largely legacy, but files are generally safe to open; risk is limited to parser bugs in older players or converters.

What are the magic bytes for .mod files?

The magic bytes for MOD files are 45 78 74 65 6E 64 65 64 20 4D 6F 64 75 6C 65 3A at byte offset 0. These bytes uniquely identify the file format regardless of the file extension.

How do I validate a .mod file?

To validate a .mod file, read the first bytes of the file and compare them against the known magic bytes (45 78 74 65 6E 64 65 64 20 4D 6F 64 75 6C 65 3A) at offset 0. This is more reliable than checking the file extension alone, as extensions can be renamed.

What is the MIME type for .mod files?

The primary MIME type for .mod files is audio/x-mod.

Is it safe to open .mod files?

MOD (.mod) 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.