What's a Uniform Type Identifier?
Each UTI provides a unique identifier for a particular file type, data type, directory or bundle type, and so on. In addition, other type identifier namespaces for a particular type can be grouped under one UTI, with utility functions available to translate from one format to another.
The following tables list uniform type identifiers (UTIs) that are declared by the system as of OS X v10.4. [Which was released in 2005. That means it's NOT up to date. Apple Developer stuff has the up to date docs. Still, these can be useful for scripting, Alfred Workflows, and so on.]
Note: These tables list only UTIs declared by the system. Other UTIs may be declared privately by Apple applications (Mail, for example) and third-party developers.
Identifier (Constant) | Conforms to | Tags | Comments |
---|---|---|---|
public.item ( | - | Base type for the physical hierarchy. | |
public.content ( | - | Base type for all document content. | |
public.composite-content ( | public.content | Base type for mixed content. For example, a PDF file contains both text and special formatting data. | |
public.data ( | public.item | Base physical type for byte streams (flat files, pasteboard data, and so on). | |
public.database | - | Base functional type for databases. | |
public.calendar-event | - | Base functional type for scheduled events. | |
public.message ( | - | Base type for messages (email, IM, and so on). | |
public.presentation | public.composite-content | Base type for presentations. | |
public.contact ( | - | Base type for contact information. | |
public.archive ( | - | Base type for an archive of files and directories. | |
public.disk-image ( | public.archive | Base type for items mountable as a volume. | |
public.text ( | public.content, public.data | Base type for all text, including text with markup information (HTML, RTF, and so on). | |
public.plain-text ( | public.text | .txt, text/plain | Text of unspecified encoding, with no markup. Equivalent to the MIME type text/plain |
public.utf8-plain-text ( | public.plain-text | 'utf8', NSStringPBoardType | Unicode-8 |
public.utf16-external-plain-text ( | public.plain-text | 'ut16' | Unicode-16 with byte-order mark (BOM), or if BOM is not present, an external representation byte order (big-endian). |
public.utf16-plain-text ( | public.plain-text | 'utxt' | Unicode-16, native byte order, with an optional byte-order mark (BOM). |
com.apple.traditional-mac-plain-text | public.plain-text | 'TEXT' | Classic Mac OS text. |
public.rtf ( | public.text | 'RTF ', .rtf, text/rtf, NeXT Rich Text Format 1.0 pasteboard type, NSRTFPBoardType | Rich Text. |
com.apple.ink.inktext ( | public.data | Opaque InkText data. | |
public.html ( | public.text | 'HTML', .html, .htm, text/html, Apple HTML pasteboard type | HTML text. |
public.xml ( | public.text | .xml, text/xml | XML text. |
public.source-code ( | public.plain-text | Generic source code. | |
public.c-source ( | public.source-code | .c | C source code. |
public.objective-c-source ( | public.source-code | .m | Objective-C source code. |
public.c-plus-plus-source ( | public.source-code | .cp, .cpp, .c++, .cc, .cxx | C++ source code. |
public.objective-c-plus-plus-source ( | public.source-code | .mm | Objective-C++ source code. |
public.c-header ( | public.source-code | .h | C header file. |
public.c-plus-plus-header ( | public.source-code | .hpp, .h++ , .hxx | C++ header file. |
com.sun.java-source ( | public.source-code | .java, .jav | Java source code |
public.script | public.source-code | Base type for scripting language source code. | |
public.assembly-source | public.source-code | .s | Assembly language source code. |
com.apple.rez-source | public.source-code | .r | Rez source code. |
public.mig-source | public.source-code | .defs, .mig | Mig definition source code. |
com.apple.symbol-export | public.source-code | .exp | Symbol export list. |
com.netscape.javascript-source | public.source-code, public.executable | .js, .jscript, .javascript, text/javascript | JavaScript. |
public.shell-script | public.script | .sh, .command | Shell script. |
public.csh-script | public.shell-script | .csh | C-shell script. |
public.perl-script | public.shell-script | .pl, .pm, text/x-perl-script | Perl script. |
public.python-script | public.shell-script | .py, text/x-python-script | Python script. |
public.ruby-script | public.shell-script | .rb, .rbw, text/ruby-script | Ruby script. |
public.php-script | public.shell-script | .php, .php3, .php4, .ph3, .ph4, .phtml, text/x-php-script, text/php, application/php | PHP script. |
com.sun.java-web-start | public.xml | .jnlp, application/x-java, jnlp-file, application/jnlp | Java web start. |
com.apple.applescript.text | public.script | .applescript | AppleScript text. |
com.apple.applescript.script | public.data | .scpt, 'osas' | AppleScript. |
public.object-code | public.data, public.executable | .o | Object code. |
com.apple.mach-o-binary | public.data, public.executable | Mach-O binary. | |
com.apple.pef-binary | public.data, public.executable | PEF (CFM-based) binary | |
com.microsoft.windows-executable | public.data, public.executable | .exe, application/x-msdownload | Microsoft Windows application. |
com.microsoft.windows-dynamic-link-library | public.data, public.executable | .dll, application/x-msdownload | Microsoft dynamic link library. |
com.sun.java-class | public.data, public.executable | .class | Java class. |
com.sun.java-archive | public.data, public.executable, public.archive | .jar , application/java-archive | Java archive. |
com.apple.quartz-composer-composition | public.data, public.executable | .qtz , application/x-quartzcomposer | Quartz Composer composition. |
org.gnu.gnu-tar-archive | public.data, public.archive | .gtar, application/x-gtar | GNU archive. |
public.tar-archive | org.gnu.gnu-tar-archive | .tar, application/x-tar, application/tar | Tar archive. |
org.gnu.gnu-zip-archive | public.data, public.archive | .gz, .gzip, application/x-gzip, application/gzip | Gzip archive. |
org.gnu.gnu-zip-tar-archive | org.gnu.gnu-zip-archve | .tgz | Gzip tar archive. |
com.apple.binhex-archive | public.data, public.archive | .hqx, application/mac-binhex40, application/mac-binhex, application/binhex | BinHex archive. |
com.apple.macbinary-archive | public.data, public.archive | .bin, application/x-macbinary, application/macbinary | MacBinary archive. |
public.url ( | public.data | 'url ' | Uniform Resource Locator. |
public.file-url ( | public.url | 'furl' | File URL. |
public.url-name | - | 'urln' | URL name. |
public.vcard ( | public.data, public.content | 'vCrd', .vcf, .vcard, text/directory, text/vcard, text/x-vcard, Apple Vcard, pasteboard type | vCard (electronic business card). |
public.image ( | public.data, public.content | Base type for images. | |
public.fax | public.image | Base type for fax images. | |
public.jpeg ( | public.image | 'JPEG', .jpg, .jpeg, image/jpeg | JPEG image. |
public.jpeg-2000 ( | public.image | 'jp2 ', .jp2, image/jp2 | JPEG 2000 image. |
public.tiff ( | public.image | 'TIFF', .tif, .tiff, image/tiff, NeXT TIFF v4.0 pasteboard type, NSTIFFPBoardType | TIFF image. |
public.camera-raw-image | public.image | Base type for digital camera raw image formats. | |
com.apple.pict ( | public.image | 'PICT', .pic, .pct, .pict, image/pict, image/x-pict, image/x-macpict | PICT image |
com.apple.macpaint-image | public.image | .pntg, 'PNTG' | MacPaint image. |
public.png ( | public.image | 'PNGf', .png, image/png | PNG image |
public.xbitmap-image | public.image | .xbm, image/x-quicktime | X bitmap image. |
com.apple.quicktime-image ( | public.image | 'qtif', .qif, .qtif, image/x-quicktime | QuickTime image. |
com.apple.icns ( | public.image | 'icns', .icns | Mac OS icon image. |
com.apple.txn.text-multimedia-data ( | public.data, public.composite-content | 'txtn' | MLTE (Textension) format for mixed text and multimedia data. |
public.audiovisual-content ( | public.data, public.content | Base type for any audiovisual content. | |
public.movie | public.audiovisual-content | Base type for movies (video with optional audio or other tracks). | |
public.video ( | public.movie | Base type for video (no audio). | |
com.apple.quicktime-movie ( | public.movie | 'MooV', .mov, .qt, video/quicktime | QuickTime movie. |
public.avi | public.movie | .avi, .vfw, 'Vfw ', video/avi, video/msvideo, video/x-msvideo | AVI movie. |
public.mpeg ( | public.movie | 'MPG ', 'MPEG', .mpg, .mpeg, .m75, .m15, video/mpg, video/mpeg, video/x-mpg, video/x-mpeg | MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 content. |
public.mpeg-4 ( | public.movie | 'mpg4', .mp4, video/mp4, video/mp4v | MPEG-4 content. |
public.3gpp | public.movie | .3gp, .3gpp, '3gpp', video/3gpp, audio/3gpp | 3GPP movie. |
public.3gpp2 | public.movie | .3g2 , .3gp2 , '3gp2', video/3gpp2, audio/3gpp2 | 3GPP2 movie. |
public.audio ( | public.audiovisual-content | Base type for audio (no video). | |
public.mp3 ( | public.audio | 'MPG3', 'mpg3', 'Mp3 ', 'MP3 ', 'mp3!', 'MP3!', .mp3, audio/mpeg, audio/mpeg3, audio/mpg, audio/mp3, audio/x-mpeg, audio/x-mpeg3, audio/x-mpg, audio/x-mp3 | MPEG-3 audio. |
public.mpeg-4-audio ( | public.audio, public.mpeg4 | 'M4A ', .m4a | MPEG-4 audio. |
com.apple.protected-mpeg-4-audio ( | public.audio | 'M4P ', 'M4B ', .m4p, .m4b | Protected MPEG-4 audio. (iTunes music store format) |
public.ulaw-audio | public.audio | .au, .ulw, .snd, 'ULAW', audio/basic, audio/au, audio/snd | μLaw audio. |
public.aifc-audio | public.audio | .aifc, .aiff, .aif, 'AIFC', audio/aiff, audio/x-aiff | AIFF-C audio. |
public.aiff-audio | public.audio | .aiff, .aif, 'AIFF', audio/aiff, audio/x-aiff | AIFF audio. |
com.apple.coreaudio-format | public.audio | .caf, 'caff' | Core Audio format. |
public.directory ( | public.item | Base type for directories. | |
public.folder ( | public.directory | A plain folder (that is, not a package). | |
public.volume ( | public.folder | A volume. | |
com.apple.package ( | public.directory | A package (that is, a directory presented to the user as a file). | |
com.apple.bundle ( | public.directory | 'BNDL', .bundle | A directory with an internal structure specified by Core Foundation Bundle Services. . |
public.executable | - | Base type for executable data. | |
com.apple.application ( | public.executable | Base type for applications and other launchable files. | |
com.apple.application-bundle ( | com.apple.package, com.apple.bundle, com.apple.application | 'APPL', .app | Application bundle. |
com.apple.application-file ( | com.apple.application public.data | 'APPL' | Application file. |
com.apple.deprecated-application-file | com.apple.application-file | 'APPC', 'APPD', 'APPE', 'appe', 'CDEV', 'cdev', 'dfil' | Deprecated application file. |
com.apple.plugin | com.apple.bundle, com.apple.package | .plugin | Plugin. |
com.apple.metadata-importer | com.apple.plugin | .mdimporter | Spotlight importer plugin. |
com.apple.dashboard-widget | com.apple.bundle, com.apple.package | .wdgt | Dashboard widget. |
public.cpio-archive | public.data | .cpio | CPIO archive. |
com.pkware.zip-archive | public.data, public.archive | .zip, application/zip | Zip archive. |
com.apple.webarchive ( | public.data, public.composite-content | Web Kit webarchive format. | |
com.apple.framework ( | com.apple.bundle | 'FMWK', .framework | Framework. |
com.apple.rtfd ( | com.apple.package, public.composite-content | .rtfd | Rich Text Format Directory. That is, Rich Text with content embedding, on-disk format. |
com.apple.flat-rtfd ( | public.data, public.composite-content | NeXT RTFD pasteboard type, NSRTFDPBoardType | Rich Text with content embedding, pasteboard format. |
com.apple.resolvable ( | - | Items that the Alias Manager can resolve. | |
public.symlink ( | public.item, com.apple.resolvable | UNIX-style symlink. | |
com.apple.mount-point ( | public.item, com.apple.resolvable | A volume mount point | |
com.apple.alias-record ( | public.data, com.apple.resolvable | 'alis' | Alias record. |
com.apple.alias-file ( | public.data, com.apple.resolvable | Alias file. | |
public.font | public.data | Base type for fonts. | |
public.truetype-font | public.font | TrueType font. | |
com.adobe.postscript-font | public.font | PostScript font. | |
com.apple.truetype-datafork-suitcase-font | public.truetype-font | .dfont, 'dfon' | TrueType data fork font. |
public.opentype-font | public.font | .otf, 'OTTO' | PostScript OpenType font. |
public.truetype-ttf-font | public.truetype-font | .ttf | TrueType OpenType font. |
public.truetype-collection-font | public.font | .ttc, 'ttcf' | TrueType collection font. |
com.apple.font-suitcase | public.font | .suit, 'FFIL', 'ffil', 'sfnt', 'tfil' | Font suitcase. |
com.adobe.postscript-lwfn-font | com.adobe.postscript-font | 'LWFN' | PostScript Type 1 outline font. |
com.adobe.postscript-pfb-font | com.adobe.postscript-font | .pfb | PostScriptType1 outline font. |
com.adobe.postscript.pfa-font | com.adobe.postscript-font | .pfa | PostScriptType 1 outline font. |
com.apple.colorsync-profile | public.data | .icc, .icm, .pf , 'prof' | ColorSync profile. |