File extensions – definition and basic information


File extensions are the integral parts of the files that are on each computer. Often, when working on a computer, we encounter a wide range of files, such as docx, ppt, part, mp3 or rmvb. We realize that they are there – but we often do not know what they are for on our computer.

File extension, also known as the filename extension is a suffix added to the name of a computer file, usually consisting of a number of characters placed after the last dot in the filename, which gives us information about its coding. In other words a file extension is a file format. It allows the operating system (e.g. Windows) to recognize what program it should try to open the file.

In the table below you will find a random selection of popular file extensions.


File extension The full name of the file Category

CRDOWNLOAD file extension

Chrome Partially Downloaded File

Misc Files

FLA file extension

Adobe Flash Animation

Developer Files

FLV file extension

Flash Video File

Video Files

IBOOKS file extension

Multi-Touch iBook

Data Files

JAVA file extension

Java Source Code File

Developer Files

M file extension

Objective-C Implementation File

Developer Files

NES file extension

Nintendo (NES) ROM File

Game Files

PHP file extension

PHP Source Code File

Web Files

RPM file extension

Red Hat Package Manager File

Compressed Files

SYS file extension

Windows System File

System Files

TGA file extension

Targa Graphic

Raster Image Files

VCXPROJ file extension

Visual C++ Project

Developer Files

WMV file extension

Windows Media Video File

Video Files

XCODEPROJ file extension

Xcode Project

Developer Files

3GP file extension

3GPP Multimedia File

Video Files