.el Emacs Lisp source code
Text & source code
| MIME type | text/x-emacs-lisp |
|---|---|
| Description | Emacs Lisp source code |
| Category | Text & source code |
| Signature (magic bytes) | 0A 28 (.()3B 45 4C 43 13 00 00 00 (;ELC....) |
| Based on | text/plain |
Frequently asked questions
What is a .el file?
A .el file is a “Emacs Lisp source code” (MIME type text/x-emacs-lisp).
How do I open a .el file?
With any text editor – Notepad++, Visual Studio Code, or gedit and vim on Linux. The file contains readable text, possibly source code or configuration.
How can you tell a genuine .el file?
By the bytes at the start of the file, the signature (magic bytes): 0A 28 (.() and 3B 45 4C 43 13 00 00 00 (;ELC....). On Linux and macOS, file --mime-type example.el checks the real type regardless of the extension.
Which format is .el based on?
Technically a .el file is a subtype of “Plain text document” (text/plain), so programs for that base format can often read it too.
Which MIME type belongs to .el?
The MIME type is text/x-emacs-lisp. In the Apache web server: AddType text/x-emacs-lisp .el; in nginx: types { text/x-emacs-lisp el; }.