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

CSR file extension

Certificate Signing Request File

Web Files

DEB file extension

Debian Software Package

Compressed Files

DEM file extension

Video Game Demo File

Game Files

DNG file extension

Digital Negative Image File

Camera Raw Files

EXE file extension

Windows Executable File

Executable Files

KML file extension

Keyhole Markup Language File

GIS Files

MID file extension

MIDI File

Audio Files

ODT file extension

OpenDocument Text Document

Text Files

PS file extension

PostScript File

Vector Image Files

PSPIMAGE file extension

PaintShop Pro Image

Raster Image Files

RM file extension

Real Media File

Video Files

RTF file extension

Rich Text Format File

Text Files

SLN file extension

Visual Studio Solution File

Developer Files

TAX2012 file extension

TurboTax 2012 Tax Return

Data Files

UUE file extension

Uuencoded File

Encoded Files