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

AIF file extension

Audio Interchange File Format

Audio Files

CFG file extension

Configuration File

Settings Files

CRDOWNLOAD file extension

Chrome Partially Downloaded File

Misc Files

DB file extension

Database File

Database Files

EPUB file extension

Open eBook File

eBook Files

GAM file extension

Saved Game File

Game Files

GBR file extension

Gerber File

Data Files

ICS file extension

iCalendar File

Misc Files

LUA file extension

Lua Source File

Developer Files

MOBI file extension

Mobipocket eBook

eBook Files

RPM file extension

Red Hat Package Manager File

Compressed Files

SAV file extension

Saved Game

Game Files

VOB file extension

DVD Video Object File

Video Files

WMV file extension

Windows Media Video File

Video Files

XML file extension

XML File

Data Files