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

RPM file extension

Red Hat Package Manager File

Compressed Files

WAV file extension

WAVE Audio File

Audio Files

PDF file extension

Portable Document Format File

Layout Files

TTF file extension

TrueType Font

Font Files

AI file extension

Adobe Illustrator File

Vector Image Files

PIF file extension

Program Information File

Executable Files

TAX2012 file extension

TurboTax 2012 Tax Return

Data Files

GPX file extension

GPS Exchange File

GIS Files

WPS file extension

Microsoft Works Word Processor Document

Text Files

PPS file extension

PowerPoint Slide Show

Data Files

DB file extension

Database File

Database Files

7Z file extension

7-Zip Compressed File

Compressed Files

FNT file extension

Windows Font File

Font Files

GED file extension

GEDCOM Genealogy Data File

Data Files

CBR file extension

Comic Book RAR Archive

Compressed Files