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

AI file extension

Adobe Illustrator File

Vector Image Files

CBR file extension

Comic Book RAR Archive

Compressed Files

COM file extension

DOS Command File

Executable Files

CPP file extension

C++ Source Code File

Developer Files

GIF file extension

Graphical Interchange Format File

Raster Image Files

M file extension

Objective-C Implementation File

Developer Files

MDF file extension

Media Disc Image File

Disk Image Files

PS file extension

PostScript File

Vector Image Files

RPM file extension

Red Hat Package Manager File

Compressed Files

SITX file extension

StuffIt X Archive

Compressed Files

TIF file extension

Tagged Image File

Raster Image Files

TMP file extension

Temporary File

Backup Files

UUE file extension

Uuencoded File

Encoded Files

VB file extension

VBScript File

Executable Files

VCD file extension

Virtual CD

Disk Image Files