WAV file signature
Magic number at the start of the file · RIFF....WAVE
WAV audio is a RIFF container: the file starts with RIFF, then a four-byte little-endian size, then the form type WAVE at offset 8. The same RIFF wrapper carries AVI video and WebP images.
What this magic number means
A magic number is a short, fixed run of bytes at a known position that tells a program what a file really is, no matter what the filename says. If a file starts with the bytes 52 49 46 46 ?? ?? ?? ?? 57 41 56 45 (the text RIFF....WAVE), it is a WAV file.
Formats that use the 52 49 46 46 signature
These file types in our database carry this signature:
How to check a file's signature
You can read the first bytes of any file yourself. The magic bytes are shown in hex, the same way this page lists them.
Linux & macOS
- xxd -l 16 example.wav
- hexdump -C -n 16 example.wav
- file example.wav
Windows (PowerShell)
- Format-Hex -Path example.wav -Count 16
Python
- open("example.wav","rb").read(12).hex()
In your browser
- Drop the file into the WhatFileType identifier, which reads the signature without uploading it.
Frequently asked questions
What is the WAV file signature?
WAV files start with the hex bytes 52 49 46 46 ?? ?? ?? ?? 57 41 56 45 (RIFF....WAVE in ASCII). This magic number identifies the format regardless of the file's name or extension.
How do I check a file's magic number?
Open the file in a hex editor, or run a command such as xxd -l 16 example.wav on Linux or macOS, or Format-Hex -Path example.wav -Count 16 in Windows PowerShell, and read the first bytes.
Can a file fake the WAV signature?
Renaming a file does not change its bytes, so the extension can lie but the signature usually cannot. A genuine WAV file has these exact bytes; a file with the wrong bytes is not really WAV, whatever its name says.