URI List MIME Type

What does text/uri-list mean?

The text/uri-list media type is a line-oriented format for one or more Uniform Resource Identifiers. It can carry URLs such as https://example.com/report, URNs, or URIs using other schemes. IANA registers the type and points to RFC 2483, which defined it for automatic processing of URI lists.¹²

The format is deliberately small:

• Put one URI on each line without wrapping it.
• Begin a comment line with # in the first column.
• End lines with CRLF, as specified for this format.
• Use .uri or .uris when a filename extension is needed.

There is no magic number. A text file containing URLs could be a URI list, ordinary plain text, or application-specific data, so reliable identification usually comes from its declared MIME type or surrounding protocol.²

What does a URI list file look like?

This example contains a comment and three URI lines:

# Project references
https://example.com/specification
https://example.com/implementation
urn:isbn:9780131103627

Only a # at the start of a line marks a comment. A fragment identifier inside a URI, such as https://example.com/guide#install, remains part of that URI. Avoid blank lines because every non-comment line is expected to contain a URI.²

RFC 2483 originally used the format to return several locations or names associated with a resource. When a service maps one original URI to several alternatives, the RFC recommends placing the original URI in a comment on the first line. The remaining lines can then list replicas or alternate identifiers in preference order.²

Why do browsers use text/uri-list?

The format found a durable role in drag and drop. The HTML drag-data model lets applications label a string with a MIME type, and browsers use text/uri-list when a hyperlink or linked image is dragged. A text/plain copy is commonly included as a fallback.⁴⁵

Current Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Opera, and Safari support the HTML drag-and-drop APIs that carry this data. That does not mean each browser provides a dedicated viewer for a downloaded .uri file. In browser code, the type normally appears through DataTransfer:

element.addEventListener("dragstart", (event) => {
  event.dataTransfer.setData("text/uri-list", "https://example.com/")
  event.dataTransfer.setData("text/plain", "https://example.com/")
})

The web-platform getData("URL") shorthand is treated as text/uri-list, but it returns only the first URI. Code that needs every entry should read the complete typed item, split it into lines, and discard comments rather than assuming there is exactly one URL.⁴⁵

Support in Poly

Poly uses text/uri-list for bookmarks. You can paste or drag a web URL into a folder, keep it beside ordinary files, organize it with tags, and find it by name or destination. When supported page content and metadata are available, they also make the bookmark easier to find and useful to the Poly agent.

Bookmarks open as web links rather than as raw URI-list source. Poly previews the destination inside the app when the site permits it. If the page cannot be embedded, you can open it directly. Access controls, a missing network connection, removed pages, and sites that block automated reading can limit the available preview or searchable content.

Poly represents one destination per bookmark. This is narrower than RFC 2483, which permits several URI lines and comments in one payload. If you have a multi-entry .uri or .uris file, split it into individual bookmarks when each destination needs to be searchable and opened independently.

Is text/uri-list the same as .url or .webloc?

No. They solve a similar user-facing problem, but their file encodings differ.

Renaming a .url or .webloc file to .uri does not convert it. Parse the source format and write the extracted destination as a URI line. The reverse conversion needs the structure expected by the target operating system.

How do you open or convert a URI list?

A text editor is enough to inspect a trusted .uri or .uris file. For actual navigation, use a URI-list-aware application or copy a selected HTTP or HTTPS URL into a browser. Do not assume that every scheme belongs in a web browser. A list might contain mailto:, file:, application-specific, or other URI schemes.

Conversion depends on the goal:

• Convert to plain text when human reading matters more than machine-readable comments and line rules.
• Convert to CSV when each URI needs columns for a title, category, or status.
• Convert each web URL into an HTML link when the result should be a readable web page.
• Convert one destination at a time to .url or .webloc for desktop bookmark interchange.

Preserve the exact URI string unless you intentionally normalize it. Percent-encoding, character case in some components, query strings, and fragments can affect where a reference leads.³

Security and privacy considerations

Treat a URI list as untrusted instructions, not as harmless prose. Opening an entry can disclose network information, invoke a local application, access a local path, initiate a download, or trigger a scheme-specific action. Show the destination and scheme before opening unfamiliar entries, and allow only the schemes appropriate for your application.

URI lists can also reveal sensitive locations or relationships between resources. RFC 2483 warns that lists may expose confidential information and attract traffic analysis. Protect private lists in storage and transit, and avoid placing credentials or secrets in URI query strings.²