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

ZIP file extension

Zipped File

Compressed Files

APP file extension

Mac OS X Application

Executable Files

CUR file extension

Windows Cursor

System Files

CFM file extension

ColdFusion Markup File

Web Files

DB file extension

Database File

Database Files

ZIPX file extension

Extended Zip File

Compressed Files

CBR file extension

Comic Book RAR Archive

Compressed Files

ICS file extension

iCalendar File

Misc Files

7Z file extension

7-Zip Compressed File

Compressed Files

VCXPROJ file extension

Visual C++ Project

Developer Files

DOC file extension

Microsoft Word Document

Text Files

SH file extension

Bash Shell Script

Developer Files

M4A file extension

MPEG-4 Audio File

Audio Files

XML file extension

XML File

Data Files

GZ file extension

Gnu Zipped Archive

Compressed Files