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

APP file extension

Mac OS X Application

Executable Files

GPX file extension

GPS Exchange File

GIS Files

IFF file extension

Interchange File Format

Audio Files

JAVA file extension

Java Source Code File

Developer Files

KMZ file extension

Google Earth Placemark File

GIS Files

LOG file extension

Log File

Text Files

PAGES file extension

Pages Document

Text Files

PS file extension

PostScript File

Vector Image Files

PY file extension

Python Script

Developer Files

RPM file extension

Red Hat Package Manager File

Compressed Files

SDF file extension

Standard Data File

Data Files

TARGZ file extension

Compressed Tarball File

Compressed Files

TEX file extension

LaTeX Source Document

Text Files

VCXPROJ file extension

Visual C++ Project

Developer Files

WPS file extension

Microsoft Works Word Processor Document

Text Files