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MPEG-1 Audio Layer 3 (.mp3)

.mp3 file signature | audio/mpeg

MPEG-1 Layer 3file without anID3tag or with anID3v1 tag (which is appended at the end of the file)

Safe

Magic Bytes

Offset 0
49 44 33

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

All Known Signatures

14 signature variants are documented for .mp3 files across multiple sources.

Hex Signature Offset Sources
49 44 33 0 Apache Tika, Wikipedia, Gary Kessler, Neil Harvey FileSignatures
FF F2 0 Apache Tika
FF F3 0 Apache Tika
FF F4 0 Apache Tika
FF F5 0 Apache Tika
FF F6 0 Apache Tika
FF F7 0 Apache Tika
FF FA 0 Apache Tika
FF FB 0 Apache Tika
FF FC 0 Apache Tika
FF FD 0 Apache Tika
FF E3 0 Apache Tika
FF FF 0 Apache Tika
FF FB FF F3 FF F2 0 Wikipedia

Extension

.mp3

MIME Type

audio/mpeg

Byte Offset

0

Risk Level

Safe

Validation Code

How to validate .mp3 files in Python

Python
def is_mp3(file_path: str) -> bool:
    """Check if file is a valid MP3 by magic bytes."""
    signature = bytes([0x49, 0x44, 0x33])
    with open(file_path, "rb") as f:
        return f.read(3) == signature

How to validate .mp3 files in Node.js

Node.js
function isMP3(buffer: Buffer): boolean {
  const signature = Buffer.from([0x49, 0x44, 0x33]);
  return buffer.subarray(0, 3).equals(signature);
}

How to validate .mp3 files in Go

Go
func IsMP3(data []byte) bool {
    signature := []byte{0x49, 0x44, 0x33}
    if len(data) < 3 {
        return false
    }
    return bytes.Equal(data[:3], signature)
}

API Endpoint

GET /api/v1/mp3
curl https://filesignature.org/api/v1/mp3

See the full API documentation for all endpoints and parameters.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a .mp3 file?

A .mp3 file is a MPEG-1 Audio Layer 3 file. MPEG-1 Layer 3file without anID3tag or with anID3v1 tag (which is appended at the end of the file)

What are the magic bytes for .mp3 files?

The magic bytes for MPEG-1 Audio Layer 3 files are 49 44 33 at byte offset 0. These bytes uniquely identify the file format regardless of the file extension.

How do I validate a .mp3 file?

To validate a .mp3 file, read the first bytes of the file and compare them against the known magic bytes (49 44 33) at offset 0. This is more reliable than checking the file extension alone, as extensions can be renamed.

What is the MIME type for .mp3 files?

The primary MIME type for .mp3 files is audio/mpeg.

Is it safe to open .mp3 files?

MPEG-1 Audio Layer 3 (.mp3) 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.