.PLIST file signature
A Apple binary property list file begins with the bytes 62 70 6C 69 73 74 30 30 (bplist00 in ASCII) at the start of the file. The signature is the same whatever the file is named, which is why a renamed or extensionless APPLEBPLIST file is still recognisable.
Signature
| Offset | Hex | ASCII |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | 62 70 6C 69 73 74 30 30 | bplist00 |
MIME type: application/x-plist · usual extensions: .plist
How to check a file's signature
Without installing anything: drop the file on our detector. It reads the bytes in your browser and shows the hex dump alongside the verdict; nothing is uploaded.
macOS and Linux (Terminal):
xxd -l 32 file.plist
file file.plistWindows (PowerShell):
Format-Hex -Path file.plist -Count 32If the bytes do not match
A file named .plist whose first bytes are something else is not a APPLEBPLIST file. The common explanations are a wrong or deliberately misleading extension, a download that saved an HTML error page instead of the file, or a container such as ZIP wrapping the real content. The detector reports what the bytes say; the APPLEBPLIST guide explains what a genuine file should contain.