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

PHP file extension

PHP Source Code File

Web Files

TEX file extension

LaTeX Source Document

Text Files

DBF file extension

Database File

Database Files

JAR file extension

Java Archive File

Executable Files

XML file extension

XML File

Data Files

MP4 file extension

MPEG-4 Video File

Video Files

7Z file extension

7-Zip Compressed File

Compressed Files

M3U file extension

Media Playlist File

Audio Files

DESKTHEMEPACK file extension

Windows 8 Desktop Theme Pack File

System Files

TORRENT file extension

BitTorrent File

Misc Files

IFF file extension

Interchange File Format

Audio Files

WAV file extension

WAVE Audio File

Audio Files

OBJ file extension

Wavefront 3D Object File

3D Image Files

WPS file extension

Microsoft Works Word Processor Document

Text Files

C file extension

C/C++ Source Code File

Developer Files