What is the PIT file format?
A .pit file is a Samsung Partition Information Table - a small binary file that describes the complete flash memory partition layout of a Samsung Android device. It maps every partition on the device's internal storage: each entry specifies the partition name, device type (eMMC or UFS), binary type (PDA, modem, bootloader, and so on), block size, block count, and the filename of the firmware image that belongs in that partition.
.pit files are strictly device-model-specific and must not be mixed between models. Flashing a .pit intended for one Galaxy model onto a different model - or using the wrong storage-capacity variant - can permanently misallocate partition sizes, potentially hard-bricking the device beyond recovery.
.pit files are used with Samsung's Odin flash tool (Windows) and the open-source Heimdall utility (Linux and macOS). You can extract the correct .pit for a device from its official Samsung firmware package, or read it live from a connected device using Odin's or Heimdall's Read PIT function. Community tools such as Pit Editor allow viewing and modifying entries, while a hex editor can inspect the binary structure directly.
The binary format opens with the magic value 0x12347698 (little-endian) at offset 0, followed by a format version field at offset 4 (typically 1) and the entry count at offset 8. There is no checksum field in the standard PIT structure.
Security & safety
RISK: HIGHFlashing a wrong PIT file can permanently hard-brick a Samsung device by destroying the partition layout - recovery may be impossible without Samsung service center hardware tools. Never flash a PIT from a different device model, different storage capacity variant, or unknown source. The Re-partition checkbox in Odin must be unchecked unless intentionally repartitioning. Extract PIT only from the official Samsung firmware package matching your exact model number (SM-XXXXX).
Format details
in a nutshell- PackIt Compressed Archive (legacy Mac) - Apple Macintosh used .pit for PackIt archives (1984-mid-1990s, created by Harry Chesley); completely obsolete, superseded by ZIP/SIT/StuffIt.
Programs that open PIT files
Windows3 apps
Odin
Free In Odin, click the 'PIT' button, load the .pit file, ensure 'Re-partition' is checked ONLY if required. Use with extreme caution.
Pit Editor (community tool)
Open-source Heimdall's pit-print command (heimdall print-pit --file device.pit) dumps PIT contents to text; or use third-party PIT editors from XDA Developers. 
macOS1 app
Heimdall
Open-source heimdall print-pit --file device.pit - install via Homebrew: brew install heimdall-flash. 
Linux1 app
Heimdall
Open-source heimdall print-pit --file device.pit - prints human-readable partition table. Install via package manager: sudo apt install heimdall-flash. Technical details
deep spec| Encoding | Binary |
| Byte order | Little-endian |
| Magic bytes | 76 98 34 12 (value 0x12347698) at offset 0 |
| Format version | Version field at offset 4 (typically 1); entry count at offset 8 |
| Typical file size | 2 KB - 32 KB |
| Partition entry count | Typically 10-30 entries per device model |
| Per-entry fields | Partition name, binary type (PDA/modem/bootloader), device type (eMMC/UFS), block size, block count, flash filename, FOTA filename |
| Device specificity | Model-specific - using the wrong device's PIT can permanently brick the target device |
| Checksum | None (no checksum field in the standard PIT structure) |
| Tools | Odin (Windows), Heimdall (Linux/macOS), Pit Editor (community viewer/editor) |
| Source | Extracted from official Samsung firmware packages or read live via Odin/Heimdall |
| Operating systems | Windows (Odin), Linux/macOS (Heimdall), embedded in Android firmware packages |
| Released | mid-2000s (with Odin flash tool for Samsung Android devices) |
| Latest version | current (used with Odin 3.x and Heimdall) |
Community Q&A
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