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MobiPocket eBook (MOBI) (.prc)

.prc file signature | application/x-mobipocket-ebook

MobiPocket eBook (MOBI) is a digital book file format developed by Mobipocket SA and later supported by Amazon for Kindle-related reading systems. It was used for distributing ebooks, newspapers, and other text-based publications on dedicated e-readers, desktop software, and mobile devices. The format is largely legacy following Amazon's adoption of newer Kindle formats, but files remain generally safe to open in modern readers.

Safe

Magic Bytes

Offset 60
42 4F 4F 4B 4D 4F 42 49

Sources: Apache Tika, Gary Kessler

All Known Signatures

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

Hex Signature Offset Sources
42 4F 4F 4B 4D 4F 42 49 60 Apache Tika, Gary Kessler
74 42 4D 50 4B 6E 57 72 60 Gary Kessler

Extension

.prc

MIME Type

application/x-mobipocket-ebook

Byte Offset

60

Risk Level

Safe

Validation Code

How to validate .prc files in Python

Python
def is_prc(file_path: str) -> bool:
    """Check if file is a valid PRC by magic bytes at offset 60."""
    signature = bytes([0x42, 0x4F, 0x4F, 0x4B, 0x4D, 0x4F, 0x42, 0x49])
    with open(file_path, "rb") as f:
        f.seek(60)
        return f.read(8) == signature

How to validate .prc files in Node.js

Node.js
function isPRC(buffer: Buffer): boolean {
  const signature = Buffer.from([0x42, 0x4F, 0x4F, 0x4B, 0x4D, 0x4F, 0x42, 0x49]);
  if (buffer.length < 68) return false;
  return buffer.subarray(60, 68).equals(signature);
}

How to validate .prc files in Go

Go
func IsPRC(data []byte) bool {
    signature := []byte{0x42, 0x4F, 0x4F, 0x4B, 0x4D, 0x4F, 0x42, 0x49}
    if len(data) < 68 {
        return false
    }
    return bytes.Equal(data[60:68], signature)
}

API Endpoint

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

See the full API documentation for all endpoints and parameters.

Related Formats

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a .prc file?

A .prc file is a MobiPocket eBook (MOBI) file. MobiPocket eBook (MOBI) is a digital book file format developed by Mobipocket SA and later supported by Amazon for Kindle-related reading systems. It was used for distributing ebooks, newspapers, and other text-based publications on dedicated e-readers, desktop software, and mobile devices. The format is largely legacy following Amazon's adoption of newer Kindle formats, but files remain generally safe to open in modern readers.

What are the magic bytes for .prc files?

The magic bytes for MobiPocket eBook (MOBI) files are 42 4F 4F 4B 4D 4F 42 49 at byte offset 60. These bytes uniquely identify the file format regardless of the file extension.

How do I validate a .prc file?

To validate a .prc file, read the first bytes of the file and compare them against the known magic bytes (42 4F 4F 4B 4D 4F 42 49) at offset 60. This is more reliable than checking the file extension alone, as extensions can be renamed.

What is the MIME type for .prc files?

The primary MIME type for .prc files is application/x-mobipocket-ebook.

Is it safe to open .prc files?

MobiPocket eBook (MOBI) (.prc) 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.