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

ASPX file extension

Active Server Page Extended File

Web Files

DBF file extension

Database File

Database Files

DMP file extension

Windows Memory Dump

System Files

ICS file extension

iCalendar File

Misc Files

KEY file extension

Keynote Presentation

Data Files

KML file extension

Keyhole Markup Language File

GIS Files

MPA file extension

MPEG-2 Audio File

Audio Files

PART file extension

Partially Downloaded File

Misc Files

PCT file extension

Picture File

Layout Files

PIF file extension

Program Information File

Executable Files

PPS file extension

PowerPoint Slide Show

Data Files

RSS file extension

Rich Site Summary

Web Files

TORRENT file extension

BitTorrent File

Misc Files

WPD file extension

WordPerfect Document

Text Files

WSF file extension

Windows Script File

Executable Files