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

DWG file extension

AutoCAD Drawing Database File

CAD Files

GPX file extension

GPS Exchange File

GIS Files

HTM file extension

Hypertext Markup Language File

Web Files

M3U file extension

Media Playlist File

Audio Files

MDF file extension

Media Disc Image File

Disk Image Files

MP3 file extension

MP3 Audio File

Audio Files

PART file extension

Partially Downloaded File

Misc Files

PL file extension

Perl Script

Developer Files

PPS file extension

PowerPoint Slide Show

Data Files

PY file extension

Python Script

Developer Files

RTF file extension

Rich Text Format File

Text Files

TIF file extension

Tagged Image File

Raster Image Files

VCXPROJ file extension

Visual C++ Project

Developer Files

WPD file extension

WordPerfect Document

Text Files