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

ASP file extension

Active Server Page

Web Files

BAT file extension

DOS Batch File

Executable Files

EXE file extension

Windows Executable File

Executable Files

GBR file extension

Gerber File

Data Files

GIF file extension

Graphical Interchange Format File

Raster Image Files

H file extension

C/C++/Objective-C Header File

Developer Files

INI file extension

Windows Initialization File

Settings Files

LNK file extension

Windows File Shortcut

System Files

LOG file extension

Log File

Text Files

PIF file extension

Program Information File

Executable Files

SITX file extension

StuffIt X Archive

Compressed Files

SQL file extension

Structured Query Language Data File

Database Files

SVG file extension

Scalable Vector Graphics File

Vector Image Files

VB file extension

VBScript File

Executable Files

ZIP file extension

Zipped File

Compressed Files