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

DB file extension

Database File

Database Files

VCF file extension

vCard File

Data Files

EPS file extension

Encapsulated PostScript File

Vector Image Files

ASF file extension

Advanced Systems Format File

Video Files

7Z file extension

7-Zip Compressed File

Compressed Files

RTF file extension

Rich Text Format File

Text Files

VCXPROJ file extension

Visual C++ Project

Developer Files

PS file extension

PostScript File

Vector Image Files

GPX file extension

GPS Exchange File

GIS Files

3DM file extension

Rhino 3D Model

3D Image Files

BIN file extension

Binary Disc Image

Disk Image Files

EXE file extension

Windows Executable File

Executable Files

PL file extension

Perl Script

Developer Files

WMV file extension

Windows Media Video File

Video Files

DOC# file extension

Microsoft Word Document

Text Files