# Find out if a file is cut short or damaged

> Drop a file to check its structure: checksums, end markers and box sizes. Large files are read in pieces.

Checks the inside of a PNG, JPEG, GIF, PDF, WAV, MP4, ZIP or Office file, not just its name, and tells you if it is damaged. Nothing is uploaded.

- Tool: [Check file corruption](https://fixmint.cc/check-file-corruption)
- Category: [Files & archives](https://fixmint.cc/files)
- Fixes: Is this file broken or cut off?
- Runs in the browser: files and text stay on the device, no sign-up, free.

## How to check whether a file is damaged

1. Drop one or more files on the mat. Nothing is uploaded.
2. Read each result: the checks it passed and the ones that failed.
3. For a Damaged file, get a new copy from the source before you rely on it.

## Questions

### What does Damaged mean?

A check that the format requires failed. For example a PNG chunk does not match its checksum, a ZIP entry does not unpack to the size its directory promises, or a JPEG has no end marker. The file was cut short or changed.

### Does it repair the file?

No. It only reads the file and reports what it finds. A damaged file stays as it is, so keep a copy before you try any repair tool.

### Why is a file marked Header only?

The format has no deep check here yet. The checker still reads its type from the first bytes, so you know what it is, but it cannot tell whether the rest is intact.

## Related tools

- [File type checker](https://fixmint.cc/file-type-checker): Is this file what its name says?
- [ZIP viewer](https://fixmint.cc/zip-viewer): What is inside this ZIP?
- [Clean ZIP file](https://fixmint.cc/clean-zip-file): ZIP full of junk and copies