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

ACCDB file extension

Access 2007 Database File

Database Files

CGI file extension

Common Gateway Interface Script

Executable Files

DB file extension

Database File

Database Files

DDS file extension

DirectDraw Surface

Raster Image Files

DEB file extension

Debian Software Package

Compressed Files

DMP file extension

Windows Memory Dump

System Files

PART file extension

Partially Downloaded File

Misc Files

PIF file extension

Program Information File

Executable Files

PNG file extension

Portable Network Graphic

Raster Image Files

RPM file extension

Red Hat Package Manager File

Compressed Files

SH file extension

Bash Shell Script

Developer Files

TARGZ file extension

Compressed Tarball File

Compressed Files

TAX2012 file extension

TurboTax 2012 Tax Return

Data Files

WMA file extension

Windows Media Audio File

Audio Files

YUV file extension

YUV Encoded Image File

Raster Image Files