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

BAT file extension

DOS Batch File

Executable Files

DBF file extension

Database File

Database Files

DDS file extension

DirectDraw Surface

Raster Image Files

FLA file extension

Adobe Flash Animation

Developer Files

GAM file extension

Saved Game File

Game Files

GBR file extension

Gerber File

Data Files

LNK file extension

Windows File Shortcut

System Files

MID file extension

MIDI File

Audio Files

MSI file extension

Windows Installer Package

Misc Files

TAR file extension

Consolidated Unix File Archive

Data Files

TAX2012 file extension

TurboTax 2012 Tax Return

Data Files

VCXPROJ file extension

Visual C++ Project

Developer Files

XCODEPROJ file extension

Xcode Project

Developer Files

XML file extension

XML File

Data Files