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

AI file extension

Adobe Illustrator File

Vector Image Files

BIN file extension

Binary Disc Image

Disk Image Files

CFG file extension

Configuration File

Settings Files

GBR file extension

Gerber File

Data Files

GZ file extension

Gnu Zipped Archive

Compressed Files

JAVA file extension

Java Source Code File

Developer Files

JPG file extension

JPEG Image

Raster Image Files

LNK file extension

Windows File Shortcut

System Files

LOG file extension

Log File

Text Files

LUA file extension

Lua Source File

Developer Files

PSD file extension

Adobe Photoshop Document

Raster Image Files

TARGZ file extension

Compressed Tarball File

Compressed Files

THM file extension

Thumbnail Image File

Raster Image Files

TIF file extension

Tagged Image File

Raster Image Files

TORRENT file extension

BitTorrent File

Misc Files