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

BIN file extension

Binary Disc Image

Disk Image Files

CFG file extension

Configuration File

Settings Files

DMP file extension

Windows Memory Dump

System Files

DTD file extension

Document Type Definition File

Developer Files

EXE file extension

Windows Executable File

Executable Files

FLA file extension

Adobe Flash Animation

Developer Files

IFF file extension

Interchange File Format

Audio Files

PHP file extension

PHP Source Code File

Web Files

PPS file extension

PowerPoint Slide Show

Data Files

SAV file extension

Saved Game

Game Files

SH file extension

Bash Shell Script

Developer Files

TOAST file extension

Toast Disc Image

Disk Image Files

WAV file extension

WAVE Audio File

Audio Files

YUV file extension

YUV Encoded Image File

Raster Image Files