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

BIN file extension

Binary Disc Image

Disk Image Files

CFM file extension

ColdFusion Markup File

Web Files

CRDOWNLOAD file extension

Chrome Partially Downloaded File

Misc Files

DB file extension

Database File

Database Files

DRV file extension

Device Driver

System Files

GADGET file extension

Windows Gadget

Executable Files

GBR file extension

Gerber File

Data Files

M4V file extension

iTunes Video File

Video Files

SLN file extension

Visual Studio Solution File

Developer Files

TAR file extension

Consolidated Unix File Archive

Data Files

TXT file extension

Plain Text File

Text Files

VB file extension

VBScript File

Executable Files

WAV file extension

WAVE Audio File

Audio Files

XML file extension

XML File

Data Files