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

SLN file extension

Visual Studio Solution File

Developer Files

DWG file extension

AutoCAD Drawing Database File

CAD Files

PPT file extension

PowerPoint Presentation

Data Files

CUE file extension

Cue Sheet File

Disk Image Files

SDF file extension

Standard Data File

Data Files

KMZ file extension

Google Earth Placemark File

GIS Files

PNG file extension

Portable Network Graphic

Raster Image Files

7Z file extension

7-Zip Compressed File

Compressed Files

SH file extension

Bash Shell Script

Developer Files

TMP file extension

Temporary File

Backup Files

DOC file extension

Microsoft Word Document

Text Files

PS file extension

PostScript File

Vector Image Files

RTF file extension

Rich Text Format File

Text Files

GBR file extension

Gerber File

Data Files

ZIPX file extension

Extended Zip File

Compressed Files