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

GPX file extension

GPS Exchange File

GIS Files

CGI file extension

Common Gateway Interface Script

Executable Files

AVI file extension

Audio Video Interleave File

Video Files

7Z file extension

7-Zip Compressed File

Compressed Files

YUV file extension

YUV Encoded Image File

Raster Image Files

CRX file extension

Chrome Extension

Plugin Files

PPT file extension

PowerPoint Presentation

Data Files

JAVA file extension

Java Source Code File

Developer Files

PART file extension

Partially Downloaded File

Misc Files

BAT file extension

DOS Batch File

Executable Files

3GP file extension

3GPP Multimedia File

Video Files

RPM file extension

Red Hat Package Manager File

Compressed Files

MID file extension

MIDI File

Audio Files

DOCX file extension

Microsoft Word Open XML Document

Text Files

APK file extension

Android Package File

Executable Files