Are the sample GIFs animated?

Yes. They loop forever at about 12 frames per second. The frame count for each size is shown on its download page.

What is the MIME type of a GIF file?

The MIME type is image/gif. The file extension is .gif.

Is a sample GIF file the same as a dummy or example GIF file?

Yes. Sample, test, dummy and example GIF files are different names for the same thing: a GIF file with known contents that stands in for a real one. Any file on this page will do wherever a tutorial or a test plan asks for a dummy GIF file.

Free GIF sample files

Palette-based images with simple animation, limited to 256 colours per frame. Download valid GIF test files in 5 exact sizes, from 10 KB to 5 MB, each with a checksum.

Extension: .gif
MIME type: image/gif
Kind: Binary
Category: Images

GIF files by size

Every file below is a valid Graphics Interchange Format file of exactly the stated size. Open a file's page for its checksum and contents, and to preview it in your browser before downloading.

GIF sample files by size
File	Size	Contents	Download
10 KB GIF samplesample-gif-10kb.gif	10 KB10,240 bytes	64 × 48 px	Download GIF
100 KB GIF samplesample-gif-100kb.gif	100 KB102,400 bytes	203 × 152 px	Download GIF
500 KB GIF samplesample-gif-500kb.gif	500 KB512,000 bytes	455 × 340 px	Download GIF
1 MB GIF samplesample-gif-1mb.gif	1 MB1,048,576 bytes	480 × 360 px	Download GIF
5 MB GIF samplesample-gif-5mb.gif	5 MB5,242,880 bytes	480 × 360 px	Download GIF

More GIF samples

Hand-designed files with realistic content or a specific edge case.

Curated GIF sample files
File	Size	Contents	Download
Animated GIF, 320 × 240, 24 framessample-animated-loop.gif	283 KB290,031 bytes	320 × 240 px	Download GIF

What is a GIF file?

GIF stores images with a palette of up to 256 colours and compresses them with the LZW algorithm. Its lasting use is short, looping animation, which every browser and messaging app supports.

An animated GIF is a sequence of frames, each with its own delay. Frames can cover only part of the canvas, which is how encoders keep animations small.

How to recognise a GIF file

47G49I46F38839961a

The first bytes of every file. Older files begin with GIF87a.

Extension	.gif
MIME type	image/gif
Specification	GIF89a (CompuServe, 1990)
Compression	Lossless LZW
Colour	Up to 256 colours per frame from a 24-bit palette
Transparency	One fully transparent palette entry; no partial alpha

What to test for

These are the behaviours that most often go wrong when software handles GIF files.

Many resizing libraries silently keep only the first frame of an animated GIF.
Animated GIFs are large for what they show; a few seconds can reach several megabytes, so they hit size limits early.

Strengths of GIF

Animation that plays everywhere without a video player.
Lossless for images with few colours.

Limitations of GIF

Only 256 colours per frame, so photographs band and dither.
Far larger than a short video of the same clip.

Typical uses of GIF test files

Testing whether image pipelines preserve animation
Checking frame-count and duration limits
Testing avatar and reaction uploads

Software that opens GIF

Every browser and messaging app
Image editors
gifsicle, ImageMagick and Pillow

Specifications

GIF89a specification

GIF sample files: questions

Are the sample GIFs animated?: Yes. They loop forever at about 12 frames per second. The frame count for each size is shown on its download page.
What is the MIME type of a GIF file?: The MIME type is image/gif. The file extension is .gif.
Is a sample GIF file the same as a dummy or example GIF file?: Yes. Sample, test, dummy and example GIF files are different names for the same thing: a GIF file with known contents that stands in for a real one. Any file on this page will do wherever a tutorial or a test plan asks for a dummy GIF file.