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

AZW file extension

Amazon Kindle eBook File

eBook Files

C file extension

C/C++ Source Code File

Developer Files

DDS file extension

DirectDraw Surface

Raster Image Files

JSP file extension

Java Server Page

Web Files

LOG file extension

Log File

Text Files

OBJ file extension

Wavefront 3D Object File

3D Image Files

RM file extension

Real Media File

Video Files

RPM file extension

Red Hat Package Manager File

Compressed Files

SVG file extension

Scalable Vector Graphics File

Vector Image Files

SWF file extension

Shockwave Flash Movie

Video Files

TEX file extension

LaTeX Source Document

Text Files

TXT file extension

Plain Text File

Text Files

VCXPROJ file extension

Visual C++ Project

Developer Files

WAV file extension

WAVE Audio File

Audio Files

WSF file extension

Windows Script File

Executable Files