What is file-examples.com and what does it offer?
file-examples.com is a download service that provides sample and dummy files for developers, designers, and testers. According to the site, its files are meant for testing or demo use — for example, testing file uploads or HTML5 video playback — and all files are free to download and use. If you need a real file of a specific format and size to plug into a test, demo, or presentation, this is what the site is built for.
Who it's for
The site describes itself as a service for three groups:
- Developers — who need files to test upload handlers, media playback, or file parsing.
- Designers — who need placeholder media in a given format or resolution.
- Testers — who need dummy files of controlled size and type to reproduce or verify behavior.
The common thread is that you need a real file, not a mock object or a generated placeholder image. A test that checks "does this endpoint accept a 5 MB MP4?" needs an actual 5 MB MP4.
What you can download
The site organizes its library by file type, and lets you pick a format and size before downloading:
| Category | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Video | A collection of video files for testing and demo use; choose format and size |
| Audio | mp3, wav, and other audio formats, selectable by size and format |
| Documents | doc, docx, odt, pdf, xls, ppt, pps, and more |
| Images | Stock images in many sizes and formats, such as jpg, png, and gif |
| Other files | Text and archive files, including html, csv, css, zip, and bzip2 |
The "choose format and size" step is the practically useful part: instead of hunting for a file that happens to be the right size, you select the size you need and download it.
Common use cases
The site names a few directly, and they map to typical testing tasks:
- Testing uploads — verify that your upload form, API endpoint, or storage layer handles a given format and file size correctly.
- HTML5 video demos — embed a real video file to check playback, seeking, or codec support in a browser.
- Demos and presentations — show a realistic document, image, or media file without using real user data.
For example, if you're building a file-upload feature with a 10 MB limit, you'd want to test just under and just over that limit. Downloading a file at each size from the relevant category gives you a controlled way to do that.
Safety and licensing
The site states that all files are free to download and use, and that it cares for its content: files are described as safe from viruses and free of adults-only content. That matters if you're pulling sample assets into a shared repo or a client demo, where an unexpected file would be a problem.
One caveat worth keeping in mind: "free to download and use" is the site's own statement about its files. If you plan to redistribute a sample file as part of a product or public asset, check the specific file or category rather than assuming a blanket license.
When to use it — and when not to
Use file-examples.com when you need a quick, real file of a known format and size for testing, a demo, or a presentation, and you don't want to generate one yourself.
It's less suited to cases where you need:
- Guaranteed provenance or licensing for production assets.
- Very specific content — these are generic sample files, not domain-specific data.
- Programmatic generation — if you need hundreds of files with varying properties, generating them with a script is usually faster than downloading them one by one.
For one-off test files and demo assets, the format-and-size selection is the main reason to reach for it.