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

XLSX file extension

Microsoft Excel Open XML Spreadsheet

Spreadsheet Files

SVG file extension

Scalable Vector Graphics File

Vector Image Files

GIF file extension

Graphical Interchange Format File

Raster Image Files

APP file extension

Mac OS X Application

Executable Files

ACCDB file extension

Access 2007 Database File

Database Files

PPT file extension

PowerPoint Presentation

Data Files

GAM file extension

Saved Game File

Game Files

XCODEPROJ file extension

Xcode Project

Developer Files

DB file extension

Database File

Database Files

CPL file extension

Windows Control Panel Item

System Files

PIF file extension

Program Information File

Executable Files

7Z file extension

7-Zip Compressed File

Compressed Files

CUE file extension

Cue Sheet File

Disk Image Files

TIF file extension

Tagged Image File

Raster Image Files

FLV file extension

Flash Video File

Video Files