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

CFM file extension

ColdFusion Markup File

Web Files

CRDOWNLOAD file extension

Chrome Partially Downloaded File

Misc Files

CRX file extension

Chrome Extension

Plugin Files

CSV file extension

Comma Separated Values File

Data Files

EXE file extension

Windows Executable File

Executable Files

FON file extension

Generic Font File

Font Files

M file extension

Objective-C Implementation File

Developer Files

MSI file extension

Windows Installer Package

Misc Files

OTF file extension

OpenType Font

Font Files

PDF file extension

Portable Document Format File

Layout Files

TORRENT file extension

BitTorrent File

Misc Files

TTF file extension

TrueType Font

Font Files

VB file extension

VBScript File

Executable Files

WPS file extension

Microsoft Works Word Processor Document

Text Files

ZIP file extension

Zipped File

Compressed Files