image/gif
The MIME type for GIF images. Broad animation support keeps it alive for reactions and short clips.
Typical extensions
Primary uses
- Social reactions and chat stickers
- Short web animations
- Lightweight UI motion
In a browser
Every browser plays inline. Animations autoplay; stopping them requires custom UI.
On a server
Use long-lived cache headers. CDNs increasingly transcode GIFs to WebP/AVIF on the fly.
In email
Most clients animate GIFs; older Outlook shows only the first frame.