TGA (.tga)

.tga file signature | image/x-tga

TGA, or Truevision Graphics Adapter/Targa, is a raster image file format originally created by Truevision Inc. and later supported by image software and graphics libraries. It is commonly used for textures, screenshots, and other bitmap images in design, games, and digital art workflows. The format is largely legacy, but it remains safe to open; as with any image file, malformed files can trigger parser bugs in unpatched applications.

Safe

Magic Bytes

Offset 1


              01 01 00 00

Sources: Apache Tika

All Known Signatures

3 signature variants are documented for .tga files across multiple sources.

Hex Signature	Offset	Sources
01 01 00 00	1	Apache Tika
00 02 00 00	1	Apache Tika
00 03 00 00	1	Apache Tika

Extension

.tga

MIME Type

image/x-tga

Byte Offset

Risk Level

Safe

Validation Code

How to validate .tga files in Python

Python

def is_tga(file_path: str) -> bool:
    """Check if file is a valid TGA by magic bytes at offset 1."""
    signature = bytes([0x01, 0x01, 0x00, 0x00])
    with open(file_path, "rb") as f:
        f.seek(1)
        return f.read(4) == signature

How to validate .tga files in Node.js

Node.js

function isTGA(buffer: Buffer): boolean {
  const signature = Buffer.from([0x01, 0x01, 0x00, 0x00]);
  if (buffer.length < 5) return false;
  return buffer.subarray(1, 5).equals(signature);
}

How to validate .tga files in Go

func IsTGA(data []byte) bool {
    signature := []byte{0x01, 0x01, 0x00, 0x00}
    if len(data) < 5 {
        return false
    }
    return bytes.Equal(data[1:5], signature)
}

API Endpoint

GET /api/v1/tga


              curl https://filesignature.org/api/v1/tga

See the full API documentation for all endpoints and parameters.

Related Formats

.avif .bmp .cr2 .cr3 .dib .gif

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a .tga file?

A .tga file is identified by the magic bytes 01 01 00 00 at byte offset 1. TGA, or Truevision Graphics Adapter/Targa, is a raster image file format originally created by Truevision Inc. and later supported by image software and graphics libraries. It is commonly used for textures, screenshots, and other bitmap images in design, games, and digital art workflows. The format is largely legacy, but it remains safe to open; as with any image file, malformed files can trigger parser bugs in unpatched applications.

What are the magic bytes for .tga files?

The magic bytes for TGA files are 01 01 00 00 at byte offset 1. These bytes uniquely identify the file format regardless of the file extension.

How do I validate a .tga file?

To validate a .tga file, read the first bytes of the file and compare them against the known magic bytes (01 01 00 00) at offset 1. This is more reliable than checking the file extension alone, as extensions can be renamed.

What is the MIME type for .tga files?

The primary MIME type for .tga files is image/x-tga.

Is it safe to open .tga files?

TGA (.tga) 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.