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

YUV file extension

YUV Encoded Image File

Raster Image Files

RTF file extension

Rich Text Format File

Text Files

INDD file extension

Adobe InDesign Document

Layout Files

TEX file extension

LaTeX Source Document

Text Files

7Z file extension

7-Zip Compressed File

Compressed Files

DLL file extension

Dynamic Link Library

System Files

SVG file extension

Scalable Vector Graphics File

Vector Image Files

EXE file extension

Windows Executable File

Executable Files

TIFF file extension

Tagged Image File Format

Raster Image Files

DB file extension

Database File

Database Files

WSF file extension

Windows Script File

Executable Files

EPS file extension

Encapsulated PostScript File

Vector Image Files

TXT file extension

Plain Text File

Text Files

VCXPROJ file extension

Visual C++ Project

Developer Files

MOV file extension

Apple QuickTime Movie

Video Files