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

VB file extension

VBScript File

Executable Files

JSP file extension

Java Server Page

Web Files

PIF file extension

Program Information File

Executable Files

VCXPROJ file extension

Visual C++ Project

Developer Files

C file extension

C/C++ Source Code File

Developer Files

PL file extension

Perl Script

Developer Files

7Z file extension

7-Zip Compressed File

Compressed Files

CFM file extension

ColdFusion Markup File

Web Files

KML file extension

Keyhole Markup Language File

GIS Files

WMA file extension

Windows Media Audio File

Audio Files

PPTX file extension

PowerPoint Open XML Presentation

Data Files

PAGES file extension

Pages Document

Text Files

GBR file extension

Gerber File

Data Files

KEY file extension

Keynote Presentation

Data Files

EPUB file extension

Open eBook File

eBook Files