{
  "fileFormatID": 870,
  "formatName": "Microsoft Internet Shortcut",
  "version": null,
  "formatDescription": "The Microsoft Internet Shortcut format (URL file format) is built upon a plain text file and adopts an \"INI\" or configuration file style 'section + key-pair' format, to provide machine-readable structure to describe a method of accessing a web page or website. The format enables the encapsulation of the information needed to connect to a website in a file-based object, which can be distributed or saved elsewhere on the user's hard-disk, for example, in enabling bookmarking of web-sites as a user's favorites. The Microsoft Internet Shortcut format included features such as hotkey instructions, allowing users to make use of a combination of keys on a keyboard to launch a website. The association of the '*.url' file-format extension with a web-browser application enabled double-clicking of the file object to launch a website.",
  "releaseDate": null,
  "binaryFileFormat": "Text",
  "formatNote": "https://web.archive.org/web/20120906134656/http://www.fmtz.com/formats/url-file-format/article",
  "lastUpdatedDate": "17 Apr 2024",
  "formatProvenance": "Digital preservation research. Contains URL of network resource. Specific to MS Windows operating environment. Although this kind of file is not useful as a preservation target, it is important to identify it so it can be characterized as ephemeral data.; 04/2024 (v.118): Description and links added as part of PRONOM Research Week 2023. Submitted by Ross Spencer.",
  "formatSourceDate": "06 Apr 2009",
  "formatDisclosure": "Full",
  "formatEnvironment": null,
  "formatRisk": null,
  "formatAliases": null,
  "formatTypes": "Text (Structured)",
  "formatFamilies": null,
  "identifiers": [
    {
      "identifierText": "text/plain",
      "identifierType": "MIME"
    },
    {
      "identifierText": "x-fmt/454",
      "identifierType": "PUID"
    }
  ],
  "internalSignatures": [
    {
      "signatureID": 263,
      "name": "Microsoft Windows URL",
      "note": "Signature - 5B 49 6E 74 65 72 6E 65 74 53 68 6F 72 74 63 75 74 5D - ASCII - [InternetShortcut] may further be ammended by two bytes 0x0D 0x0A [CR LF / Carriage Return, Line Feed] at the end of the signature if required. Further, the initial 18 byte sequence may suffer regional differences, additional byte sequences may be required to identify these also.",
      "byteSequences": [
        {
          "positionType": "Absolute from BOF",
          "offset": 0,
          "maxOffset": 35,
          "byteSequence": "5B496E7465726E657453686F72746375745D",
          "endianness": "Little-endian",
          "byteSequenceID": 335
        }
      ],
      "provenance": "Digital preservation research."
    }
  ],
  "externalSignatures": [
    {
      "externalSignature": "url",
      "signatureType": "File extension"
    }
  ],
  "relationships": [],
  "supportedBy": [
    93
  ],
  "developedBy": [
    93
  ],
  "submittedBy": [
    1
  ]
}