What is a .ogg file?
A .ogg file is an ogg audio. Its registered MIME type is audio/ogg, which places it in the audio family of formats.
Technically it is a specialised form of application/ogg (the .ogx format), so tools that understand that format can often read at least part of it.
OGG is a binary format: the contents are not readable text, so opening it in a text editor shows scrambled characters.
Files of this type usually begin with the bytes 4F 67 67 53. That signature is how programs recognise the format even when the extension is wrong or missing.
The same format is also saved with the extensions .oga, .opus, .spx.
OGG file format details
| Extension | .ogg |
|---|---|
| Format | Ogg audio |
| MIME type | audio/ogg, audio/x-ogg, video/ogg |
| Category | Audio |
| Text or binary | Binary |
| Based on | application/ogg |
| File signature | 4F 67 67 53 |
| Registered with IANA | Yes |
| Other extensions | .oga, .opus, .spx |
How to open OGG files
| Windows | VLC media player is free and plays almost every audio and video format, OGG included in most cases. Media Player and Films and TV handle the common ones. |
|---|---|
| Mac | QuickTime Player plays formats Apple supports. VLC or IINA play most others. |
| iPhone and iPad | The Files app plays formats Apple supports. VLC for iOS plays most others. |
| Android | Most gallery and music apps play common formats; VLC for Android plays almost everything. |
Convert OGG files
TapToConvert converts OGG files in your browser, without uploading them. Open the OGG converter, or go straight to a conversion:
OGG file FAQ
What is a .ogg file?
A .ogg file is an ogg audio, with the MIME type audio/ogg.
How do I open a .ogg file?
VLC media player plays most audio and video formats on Windows, Mac, iPhone and Android.
Is a .ogg file safe to open?
OGG files hold data rather than programs, but any file from an unknown source can be crafted to exploit the software that opens it. Keep that software up to date. The viewer on this page only reads the bytes and never runs anything.
What is the MIME type of .ogg?
audio/ogg, and it is also seen as audio/x-ogg or video/ogg. Web servers send this type so browsers know how to handle the file.
Is OGG a text or binary format?
Binary. Its contents are not readable as text.
File type facts come from the IANA media type registry, the mime-db project and the freedesktop.org shared MIME database.