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

C file extension

C/C++ Source Code File

Developer Files

DESKTHEMEPACK file extension

Windows 8 Desktop Theme Pack File

System Files

DRV file extension

Device Driver

System Files

GPX file extension

GPS Exchange File

GIS Files

LUA file extension

Lua Source File

Developer Files

M4V file extension

iTunes Video File

Video Files

PHP file extension

PHP Source Code File

Web Files

PIF file extension

Program Information File

Executable Files

RA file extension

Real Audio File

Audio Files

SYS file extension

Windows System File

System Files

TARGZ file extension

Compressed Tarball File

Compressed Files

TXT file extension

Plain Text File

Text Files

VB file extension

VBScript File

Executable Files

WPS file extension

Microsoft Works Word Processor Document

Text Files