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

AIF file extension

Audio Interchange File Format

Audio Files

ASX file extension

Microsoft ASF Redirector File

Video Files

BIN file extension

Binary Disc Image

Disk Image Files

CBR file extension

Comic Book RAR Archive

Compressed Files

DEB file extension

Debian Software Package

Compressed Files

DMG file extension

Mac OS X Disk Image

Disk Image Files

DMP file extension

Windows Memory Dump

System Files

DRV file extension

Device Driver

System Files

ICO file extension

Icon File

System Files

JS file extension

JavaScript File

Web Files

RPM file extension

Red Hat Package Manager File

Compressed Files

SLN file extension

Visual Studio Solution File

Developer Files

SWF file extension

Shockwave Flash Movie

Video Files

VCD file extension

Virtual CD

Disk Image Files

ZIP file extension

Zipped File

Compressed Files