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

AZW file extension

Amazon Kindle eBook File

eBook Files

BIN file extension

Binary Disc Image

Disk Image Files

GADGET file extension

Windows Gadget

Executable Files

IBOOKS file extension

Multi-Touch iBook

Data Files

JSP file extension

Java Server Page

Web Files

LNK file extension

Windows File Shortcut

System Files

PART file extension

Partially Downloaded File

Misc Files

PDB file extension

Program Database

Database Files

PNG file extension

Portable Network Graphic

Raster Image Files

ROM file extension

N64 Game ROM File

Game Files

SH file extension

Bash Shell Script

Developer Files

TEX file extension

LaTeX Source Document

Text Files

TMP file extension

Temporary File

Backup Files

WPD file extension

WordPerfect Document

Text Files

XHTML file extension

Extensible Hypertext Markup Language File

Web Files