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

Quick facts

Extension.mid

File typeMIDI File

MIME typeaudio/midi

CategoryAudio

Charset—

Compressible—

Format familymidi

What is .mid

What is a .mid file?

A .mid file is a MIDI File — Musical Instrument Digital Interface sequence file.

In the mime-db registry it maps to audio/midi. When serving .mid over HTTP, set the Content-Type header as shown in Developer info below.

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

How to open .mid files

Use GarageBand or FL Studio to open and edit .mid 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: audio/midi

Common software that reads/writes .mid:

GarageBandFL StudioVLC

Relation chain

.midextension of

format

midiserved as

mime type

audio/midisent via header

http header

Related extensions

Related MIME types

Common uses

Music and podcasts
Sound effects
Voice recordings

How to edit .mid files

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

How to create .mid files

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

Frequently asked questions

What programs can open .mid files?

Common options include GarageBand, FL Studio, VLC. You can also open many of these files with built-in viewers or a browser.

How do I create a .mid file?

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

What is the relationship between .mid and the audio/midi MIME type?

audio/midi is the media type identifier used for .mid files during network transfer (for example in the HTTP Content-Type header).

Sources & standards

Updated 2026-09-13

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