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

VB file extension

VBScript File

Executable Files

VCF file extension

vCard File

Data Files

RPM file extension

Red Hat Package Manager File

Compressed Files

SWF file extension

Shockwave Flash Movie

Video Files

FLA file extension

Adobe Flash Animation

Developer Files

DTD file extension

Document Type Definition File

Developer Files

CRX file extension

Chrome Extension

Plugin Files

WMV file extension

Windows Media Video File

Video Files

FON file extension

Generic Font File

Font Files

XLR file extension

Works Spreadsheet

Spreadsheet Files

PL file extension

Perl Script

Developer Files

MP4 file extension

MPEG-4 Video File

Video Files

7Z file extension

7-Zip Compressed File

Compressed Files

TEX file extension

LaTeX Source Document

Text Files

CSR file extension

Certificate Signing Request File

Web Files