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

ACCDB file extension

Access 2007 Database File

Database Files

AZW file extension

Amazon Kindle eBook File

eBook Files

CAB file extension

Windows Cabinet File

System Files

CSV file extension

Comma Separated Values File

Data Files

FLV file extension

Flash Video File

Video Files

GADGET file extension

Windows Gadget

Executable Files

GIF file extension

Graphical Interchange Format File

Raster Image Files

KMZ file extension

Google Earth Placemark File

GIS Files

MID file extension

MIDI File

Audio Files

MPA file extension

MPEG-2 Audio File

Audio Files

MPG file extension

MPEG Video File

Video Files

ODT file extension

OpenDocument Text Document

Text Files

OTF file extension

OpenType Font

Font Files

PAGES file extension

Pages Document

Text Files

PY file extension

Python Script

Developer Files