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

ASF file extension

Advanced Systems Format File

Video Files

CFG file extension

Configuration File

Settings Files

DB file extension

Database File

Database Files

ICO file extension

Icon File

System Files

INI file extension

Windows Initialization File

Settings Files

MP3 file extension

MP3 Audio File

Audio Files

ODT file extension

OpenDocument Text Document

Text Files

PL file extension

Perl Script

Developer Files

PPTX file extension

PowerPoint Open XML Presentation

Data Files

PRF file extension

Outlook Profile File

Settings Files

SLN file extension

Visual Studio Solution File

Developer Files

SQL file extension

Structured Query Language Data File

Database Files

WPS file extension

Microsoft Works Word Processor Document

Text Files

YUV file extension

YUV Encoded Image File

Raster Image Files

ZIPX file extension

Extended Zip File

Compressed Files