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Format, in the context of information technology, refers to the structure, encoding, and presentation of data. A format defines how data is organized and how software should interpret it, including any metadata that accompanies the content. Formats can be text or binary, and they can describe how content is stored in a file, transmitted over a network, or displayed to a user.

Common categories include file formats, data interchange formats, and presentation formats. File formats specify how a particular type of data is saved on disk. Examples include PDF for fixed-layout documents, DOCX for word processing, JPEG and PNG for images, MP3 and WAV for audio, MP4 and AVI for video. Some formats are containers (e.g., MKV, AVI) that hold several streams encoded with different codecs, while others are encodings of a single stream (e.g., JPEG is an image encoding). Lossy formats trade some information for smaller size; lossless formats preserve all data.

Data interchange formats are designed for structured data exchange between systems, such as JSON, XML, YAML, and CSV. Text and markup formats include plain text, HTML, Markdown, and LaTeX, which influence how content is presented or rendered but not necessarily its underlying data.

Format identification often relies on file extensions or MIME types. Long-term accessibility depends on format preservation and availability of readers; this can motivate using open, well-documented formats.

In practice, choosing a format affects compatibility, quality, storage, and preservation. Formats evolve, leading to migrations or converters as technology and requirements change.