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

CFG file extension

Configuration File

Settings Files

CGI file extension

Common Gateway Interface Script

Executable Files

DBF file extension

Database File

Database Files

EPS file extension

Encapsulated PostScript File

Vector Image Files

FLV file extension

Flash Video File

Video Files

GADGET file extension

Windows Gadget

Executable Files

LOG file extension

Log File

Text Files

LUA file extension

Lua Source File

Developer Files

MSI file extension

Windows Installer Package

Misc Files

OTF file extension

OpenType Font

Font Files

PS file extension

PostScript File

Vector Image Files

SAV file extension

Saved Game

Game Files

TGA file extension

Targa Graphic

Raster Image Files

YUV file extension

YUV Encoded Image File

Raster Image Files