# .wav MIME Type: audio/wav

> Uncompressed PCM audio. Large files; the type is written several ways.

- MIME type: `audio/wav`
- Extensions: .wav
- Also seen as: `audio/x-wav`, `audio/wave`, `audio/vnd.wave`
- Content-Type header: `audio/wav`
- Compress in transit: yes
- File signature: `52 49 46 46 xx xx xx xx 57 41 56 45`

## Good to know

- `audio/wav` is what browsers and most servers use, though the IANA registration is `audio/vnd.wave`; accept all of them on upload.
- Convert to MP3, AAC or Opus for streaming — WAV is roughly 10 MB per stereo minute.

## Server configuration

### nginx (inside the types block in mime.types)

```
audio/wav wav;
```

### Apache (.htaccess or server config)

```
AddType audio/wav .wav
```

### Express

```
res.set("Content-Type", "audio/wav");
```

### Python

```
import mimetypes

mimetypes.add_type("audio/wav", ".wav")
```

### HTML file input

```
<input type="file" accept=".wav,audio/wav">
```

## FAQ

### What is the MIME type for .wav files?

`audio/wav`. You may also see `audio/x-wav`, `audio/wave`, `audio/vnd.wave`, but `audio/wav` is the one to send.

### What Content-Type header should a .wav file be served with?

`Content-Type: audio/wav`. It compresses well, so let the server apply gzip or Brotli.

### How can I tell if a file is really a .wav?

Check its bytes rather than the extension: WAV files start with `52 49 46 46 xx xx xx xx 57 41 56 45` (`RIFF....WAVE`). On the command line, `file --mime-type name.wav` does this for you.

## Related types

- [.mp3 — audio/mpeg](https://www.devkult.com/mime/mp3.md)
- [.flac — audio/flac](https://www.devkult.com/mime/flac.md)
- [.ogg — audio/ogg](https://www.devkult.com/mime/ogg.md)

Open the interactive page: https://www.devkult.com/mime/wav