How to Set Content-Type Header in Postman Quickly

In Postman, set the Content-Type header by going to the Headers tab and adding a key named Content-Type with the desired value like application/json. This tells the server what format your request body is in.

Syntax

To set the Content-Type header in Postman, add a header with the key Content-Type and set its value to the media type of your request body.

• Content-Type: The header key that specifies the data format.
• Value: The MIME type like application/json, application/x-www-form-urlencoded, or text/plain.

http

Content-Type: application/json

Example

This example shows how to set the Content-Type header to application/json in Postman when sending a JSON request body.

http

POST /api/users HTTP/1.1
Host: example.com
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "name": "Alice",
  "email": "[e-mail]"
}

Output

HTTP/1.1 201 Created
{
  "id": 123,
  "name": "Alice",
  "email": "[e-mail]"
}

Common Pitfalls

Common mistakes when setting Content-Type in Postman include:

• Not setting the header at all, causing the server to misinterpret the data.
• Setting the wrong Content-Type value that does not match the request body format.
• Duplicating the header or having conflicting headers.

Always ensure the Content-Type matches your request body format exactly.

http

Wrong way:
Content-Type: text/plain

{"name":"Alice"}

Right way:
Content-Type: application/json

{"name":"Alice"}

Quick Reference

Content-Type Value	Description	When to Use
application/json	JSON format	Sending JSON data in request body
application/x-www-form-urlencoded	Form data	Submitting form data as key-value pairs
multipart/form-data	File upload	Uploading files with form data
text/plain	Plain text	Sending raw text data

Key Takeaways

Always set the Content-Type header in Postman to match your request body format.

Use the Headers tab in Postman to add or edit the Content-Type key and value.

Common Content-Type values include application/json and application/x-www-form-urlencoded.

Incorrect or missing Content-Type headers can cause server errors or misinterpretation.

Check your request body format and set Content-Type accordingly for successful API calls.