Corrupted & Broken Test Files Download — For QA Testing

These files are intentionally corrupted for testing purposes. They are designed to trigger error handling in your application — truncated headers, malformed data, wrong extensions, and zero-byte files. Do not attempt to open them as regular files.

Download free corrupted test files for QA testing — broken PDFs, invalid JPGs, damaged ZIPs, truncated MP4s, and MIME-type mismatches. The only sample file site that provides intentionally broken files for testing error handling, file upload validation, and graceful failure in your application.

sample-corrupt.pdf

10 KB

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Verified file details

Filename: sample-corrupt.pdf
Exact size: 10,240 bytes
Displayed size: 10 KB
MIME type: application/pdf
Note: Truncated PDF — header valid, body incomplete
License: CC0 / Public Domain
Download URL: https://truefilesize.com/files/corrupted/sample-corrupt.pdf

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sample-corrupt.jpg

5 KB

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Filename: sample-corrupt.jpg
Exact size: 5,120 bytes
Displayed size: 5 KB
MIME type: image/jpeg
Note: Truncated JPEG — SOI marker present, data incomplete
License: CC0 / Public Domain
Download URL: https://truefilesize.com/files/corrupted/sample-corrupt.jpg

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sample-corrupt.png

5 KB

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Verified file details

Filename: sample-corrupt.png
Exact size: 5,120 bytes
Displayed size: 5 KB
MIME type: image/png
Note: Invalid PNG — header present, IDAT chunk corrupted
License: CC0 / Public Domain
Download URL: https://truefilesize.com/files/corrupted/sample-corrupt.png

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sample-corrupt.zip

7.2 KB

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Filename: sample-corrupt.zip
Exact size: 7,420 bytes
Displayed size: 7.2 KB
MIME type: application/zip
Note: Damaged ZIP — local file headers present, central directory corrupted
License: CC0 / Public Domain
Download URL: https://truefilesize.com/files/corrupted/sample-corrupt.zip

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sample-corrupt.mp4

10 KB

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Filename: sample-corrupt.mp4
Exact size: 10,240 bytes
Displayed size: 10 KB
MIME type: video/mp4
Note: Truncated MP4 — ftyp box present, moov atom missing
License: CC0 / Public Domain
Download URL: https://truefilesize.com/files/corrupted/sample-corrupt.mp4

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sample-corrupt.mp3

5 KB

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Verified file details

Filename: sample-corrupt.mp3
Exact size: 5,120 bytes
Displayed size: 5 KB
MIME type: audio/mpeg
Note: Invalid MP3 — ID3 header present, frame sync corrupted
License: CC0 / Public Domain
Download URL: https://truefilesize.com/files/corrupted/sample-corrupt.mp3

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sample-corrupt.docx

8 KB

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Filename: sample-corrupt.docx
Exact size: 8,192 bytes
Displayed size: 8 KB
MIME type: application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document
Note: Damaged DOCX — ZIP container valid, XML content malformed
License: CC0 / Public Domain
Download URL: https://truefilesize.com/files/corrupted/sample-corrupt.docx

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sample-corrupt.xlsx

8 KB

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Verified file details

Filename: sample-corrupt.xlsx
Exact size: 8,192 bytes
Displayed size: 8 KB
MIME type: application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.spreadsheetml.sheet
Note: Damaged XLSX — ZIP container valid, worksheet XML corrupted
License: CC0 / Public Domain
Download URL: https://truefilesize.com/files/corrupted/sample-corrupt.xlsx

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sample-zero-byte.bin

0 B

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Verified file details

Filename: sample-zero-byte.bin
Exact size: 0 bytes
Displayed size: 0 B
MIME type: application/octet-stream
Note: Zero-byte empty file — tests empty file handling
License: CC0 / Public Domain
Download URL: https://truefilesize.com/files/corrupted/sample-zero-byte.bin

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sample-jpg-as-pdf.pdf

10 KB

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Verified file details

Filename: sample-jpg-as-pdf.pdf
Exact size: 10,240 bytes
Displayed size: 10 KB
MIME type: application/pdf
Note: JPEG data with .pdf extension — tests MIME type vs extension mismatch
License: CC0 / Public Domain
Download URL: https://truefilesize.com/files/corrupted/sample-jpg-as-pdf.pdf

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Why download corrupted files for testing?

Test file upload validation — verify your app rejects invalid files gracefully
QA error handling — ensure error messages are user-friendly, not stack traces
Test file type detection — verify MIME sniffing vs extension-based detection
Test recovery flows — does your app offer retry/re-upload when a file is corrupt?
Security testing — ensure corrupted files don't crash parsers or cause DoS
Test zero-byte edge case — empty file uploads should be handled, not crash

Types of file corruption included

Type	Description	Files
Truncated	Valid header, body cut short mid-stream	PDF, JPG, MP4
Malformed data	Container valid, internal data corrupted	PNG, ZIP, DOCX, XLSX, MP3
Wrong extension	File content doesn't match extension	JPG data as .pdf
Zero-byte	Completely empty file (0 bytes)	.bin

How to test error handling with corrupted files

// Node.js — test file upload validation
const formData = new FormData();
formData.append('file', fs.readFileSync('sample-corrupt.pdf'));

const res = await fetch('/api/upload', { method: 'POST', body: formData });
// Expected: 400 Bad Request with user-friendly error message
// NOT: 500 Internal Server Error or stack trace

// Python — test file parsing error handling
try:
    from PyPDF2 import PdfReader
    reader = PdfReader('sample-corrupt.pdf')
except Exception as e:
    # Should catch gracefully, not crash
    print(f"Expected error: {e}")

// Browser — test <input type="file"> validation
// Upload sample-corrupt.jpg → verify preview fails gracefully
// Upload sample-jpg-as-pdf.pdf → verify MIME type check works

Technical specifications

Purpose	Intentionally corrupted for QA testing
Formats	PDF, JPG, PNG, ZIP, MP4, MP3, DOCX, XLSX
Corruption types	Truncated, malformed, wrong extension, zero-byte
Safe to use	Yes — no malware, no exploits, just broken data
File sizes	0 B to 10 KB (small for fast testing)

Frequently Asked Questions

Why download corrupted files for testing?

Corrupted files are essential for QA testing — they verify your application handles invalid input gracefully. Without testing with broken files, your app may crash, show stack traces to users, or have security vulnerabilities when users upload damaged files. Every production file-handling system should be tested with intentionally corrupted inputs.

How to test error handling with corrupted files?

Upload each corrupted file to your application and verify: (1) the upload is rejected or handled gracefully, (2) the error message is user-friendly (not a stack trace), (3) the application doesn't crash or hang, (4) no data is corrupted in your database. Test both client-side validation (file type check) and server-side validation (content parsing).

What types of file corruption exist?

Four main types: (1) Truncated — file cut short, missing end-of-file markers. (2) Malformed — container is valid but internal data is corrupted or missing. (3) Wrong extension — file content doesn't match the extension (e.g., JPEG data with .pdf extension). (4) Zero-byte — completely empty file. Our samples cover all four types across 8 common formats.

How to test file upload validation?

Test three layers: (1) Client-side — does <input accept> filter work? Does the preview fail gracefully for corrupted images? (2) Server-side extension check — does renaming a JPG to .pdf pass your check? Use our sample-jpg-as-pdf.pdf. (3) Server-side content validation — does your parser catch truncated/malformed files? Our truncated PDF/JPG/MP4 files test this.

Are these corrupted files safe?

Yes. These files contain only broken/truncated data — no malware, no exploits, no malicious payloads. They are designed to trigger error handling code paths, not security vulnerabilities. The corruption is structural (missing data, wrong headers) — safe for any testing environment.

No other site offers corrupted test files — why is this unique?

Most sample file sites only provide valid files. But real users upload corrupted files constantly — partial uploads, network interruptions, format confusion. Testing only with valid files means your error handling is untested. TrueFileSize is the only site providing intentionally corrupted files across 8 formats with documented corruption types for systematic QA testing.

Related testing resources

Download Tests Sample Files by Size ZIP Archives PDF Files

Corrupted & Broken Test Files Download — For QA Testing

Why download corrupted files for testing?

Types of file corruption included

How to test error handling with corrupted files

Technical specifications

Frequently Asked Questions

Related testing resources

Related reading

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