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

DBF file extension

Database File

Database Files

FLA file extension

Adobe Flash Animation

Developer Files

GAM file extension

Saved Game File

Game Files

GBR file extension

Gerber File

Data Files

HTML file extension

Hypertext Markup Language File

Web Files

IBOOKS file extension

Multi-Touch iBook

Data Files

INI file extension

Windows Initialization File

Settings Files

JPG file extension

JPEG Image

Raster Image Files

LNK file extension

Windows File Shortcut

System Files

PCT file extension

Picture File

Layout Files

RA file extension

Real Audio File

Audio Files

SH file extension

Bash Shell Script

Developer Files

TTF file extension

TrueType Font

Font Files

TXT file extension

Plain Text File

Text Files

3GP file extension

3GPP Multimedia File

Video Files