What Is a .avi File? .avi Format, MIME & How to Open

Quick facts

Extension.avi

File typeAVI Video

MIME typevideo/x-msvideo

CategoryVideo

Charset—

Compressible—

Format familyavi

What is .avi

What is a .avi file?

A .avi file is a AVI Video — Legacy Microsoft Audio Video Interleave container.

In the mime-db registry it maps to video/x-msvideo. When serving .avi over HTTP, set the Content-Type header as shown in Developer info below.

Related entities: it maps to video/x-msvideo — and is delivered over HTTP via the Content-Type header.

How to open .avi files

Use VLC or Windows Media Player to open and edit .avi files.
Any text editor (Notepad, VS Code) can inspect the raw content as text.

Developer info

When served over HTTP, responses should set the following header:

Content-Type: video/x-msvideo

Common software that reads/writes .avi:

VLCWindows Media Player

Relation chain

.aviextension of

format

aviserved as

mime type

video/x-msvideosent via header

http header

Related extensions

Related MIME types

Common uses

Movies and clips
Streaming media
Screen recordings

How to edit .avi files

Open the file with VLC, make your changes and save.
Most editors preserve the original formatting and encoding — avoid changing the charset.

How to create .avi files

Create a new file and save it with the .avi extension, or export this format from VLC.

Frequently asked questions

What programs can open .avi files?

Common options include VLC, Windows Media Player. You can also open many of these files with built-in viewers or a browser.

How do I create a .avi file?

Create a new file in any text editor or the app that owns the format and save it with the .avi extension.

What is the relationship between .avi and the video/x-msvideo MIME type?

video/x-msvideo is the media type identifier used for .avi files during network transfer (for example in the HTTP Content-Type header).

Sources & standards

Updated 2026-08-18

Explore this reference

What is a .avi file?

What programs can open .avi files?

How do I create a .avi file?

What is the relationship between .avi and the video/x-msvideo MIME type?

Related extensions

Related MIME types

Related headers

Related methods

Related status codes