The compositional and magnetic properties of iron‐nitride thin films deposited by dc reactive magnetron sputtering under various nitrogen partial pressure conditions have been investigated by x‐ray diffraction, Mo¨ssbauer and Auger electron spectroscopy as well as magnetic measurements. The x‐ray diffraction patterns indicate a mixed phase composition.57Fe Mo¨ssbauer spectroscopy shows that part of the nitrogen atoms are randomly distributed on interstitial sites with the formation of nonstoichiometric compounds. The excessive width of the Mo¨ssbauer lines indicates the degree of disorder of the different iron nitride precipitates. The nitrogen concentration as a function of depth is obtained by sputter‐etched Auger electron spectroscopy. Furthermore, the ferromagnetic films show moderate saturation magnetization and coercivities at room temperature as compared with pure iron thin films.