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

CBR file extension

Comic Book RAR Archive

Compressed Files

CFG file extension

Configuration File

Settings Files

CRX file extension

Chrome Extension

Plugin Files

DEM file extension

Video Game Demo File

Game Files

GIF file extension

Graphical Interchange Format File

Raster Image Files

GPX file extension

GPS Exchange File

GIS Files

INI file extension

Windows Initialization File

Settings Files

MPA file extension

MPEG-2 Audio File

Audio Files

MSI file extension

Windows Installer Package

Misc Files

RPM file extension

Red Hat Package Manager File

Compressed Files

SAV file extension

Saved Game

Game Files

SQL file extension

Structured Query Language Data File

Database Files

TARGZ file extension

Compressed Tarball File

Compressed Files

WAV file extension

WAVE Audio File

Audio Files

3DS file extension

3D Studio Scene

3D Image Files