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

ASX file extension

Microsoft ASF Redirector File

Video Files

CAB file extension

Windows Cabinet File

System Files

CS file extension

Visual C# Source Code File

Developer Files

CSR file extension

Certificate Signing Request File

Web Files

EPUB file extension

Open eBook File

eBook Files

EXE file extension

Windows Executable File

Executable Files

KMZ file extension

Google Earth Placemark File

GIS Files

PDF file extension

Portable Document Format File

Layout Files

RA file extension

Real Audio File

Audio Files

RSS file extension

Rich Site Summary

Web Files

SVG file extension

Scalable Vector Graphics File

Vector Image Files

TARGZ file extension

Compressed Tarball File

Compressed Files

UUE file extension

Uuencoded File

Encoded Files

WMV file extension

Windows Media Video File

Video Files

ZIPX file extension

Extended Zip File

Compressed Files