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

H file extension

C/C++/Objective-C Header File

Developer Files

SVG file extension

Scalable Vector Graphics File

Vector Image Files

MSG file extension

Outlook Mail Message

Text Files

WAV file extension

WAVE Audio File

Audio Files

RPM file extension

Red Hat Package Manager File

Compressed Files

DTD file extension

Document Type Definition File

Developer Files

TIF file extension

Tagged Image File

Raster Image Files

JAVA file extension

Java Source Code File

Developer Files

MPG file extension

MPEG Video File

Video Files

JSP file extension

Java Server Page

Web Files

CBR file extension

Comic Book RAR Archive

Compressed Files

PPTX file extension

PowerPoint Open XML Presentation

Data Files

TORRENT file extension

BitTorrent File

Misc Files

7Z file extension

7-Zip Compressed File

Compressed Files

NES file extension

Nintendo (NES) ROM File

Game Files