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Format

ZIP Format

Summary

Name
ZIP Format
Identifiers
  • MIME: application/zip
  • Apple Uniform Type Identifier: com.pkware.zip-archive
  • PUID: x-fmt/263
Format type
Aggregate
Description
A popular archive format supported by most modern operating systems. It can contain one or more files and can utilize any of a number of compression methods.
Note
http://fileformats.archiveteam.org/wiki/ZIP https://fileinfo.com/extension/zip
File extensions
zip
Source
Digital Preservation Department / The National Archives

Relationships

Has lower priority than

Internal signatures

ZIP Format Signature 1

Note
Local file header at BOF (with maximum offset of 4 bytes) + central file header and end of central directory near EOF. NB. The signature byte sequence is currently massaged to steer around the known PRONOM bug in the area of right fragment matching when the longest fragment is not nearest EOF. The first fragment in the EOF byte sequence has been shortened by 1 byte to ensure that the subsequent fragment is the longest. This abbreviation does not reduce the overall signature strength too much and so will hopefully not result in any false pisitive identification. When the PRONOM bug has been fixed, the "504B01" at the start of the EOF byte sequence should be extended to "504B0102", and this note reduced.

Byte sequences

Min Frag Length
Absolute from BOF
Offset
0
Max offset
4
Byte Sequence
504B0304
Endianness
None
Min Frag Length
Absolute from EOF
Offset
0
Max offset
None
Byte Sequence
504B01{43-65531}504B0506{18-65531}
Endianness
Little-endian

ZIP Format Signature 2

Note
BOF; Offset: 0; Magic Bytes: 'PK' followed by 0x05060000 denoting the end of the central directory

Byte sequences

Min Frag Length
Absolute from BOF
Offset
0
Max offset
0
Byte Sequence
504B05060000
Endianness
None

Changelog

  • Added in V118

    Release date
    30 April 2024

    Zip Format: An additional internal signature, name updated for the original internal signature, description update, library of congress identifier, documentation links and vendor. Submitted by Institute of the History of Charles University and Archive of Charles University, Preservica, Brigham Young University and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

    Zip Format: Signature researched and samples provided by Institute of the History of Charles University and Archive of Charles University, Preservica, Brigham Young University and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

  • Updated in V50

    Release date
    20 May 2011

    ZIP Format: Existing signature refined through PRONOM Research.

  • Added in V34

    Release date
    2 April 2010

    ZIP Format: Signature improved through DROID 5.0 research