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

CPP file extension

C++ Source Code File

Developer Files

CRX file extension

Chrome Extension

Plugin Files

DOC# file extension

Microsoft Word Document

Text Files

FON file extension

Generic Font File

Font Files

GAM file extension

Saved Game File

Game Files

GIF file extension

Graphical Interchange Format File

Raster Image Files

JPG file extension

JPEG Image

Raster Image Files

M file extension

Objective-C Implementation File

Developer Files

MP3 file extension

MP3 Audio File

Audio Files

OTF file extension

OpenType Font

Font Files

PSD file extension

Adobe Photoshop Document

Raster Image Files

VB file extension

VBScript File

Executable Files

VCF file extension

vCard File

Data Files

WPD file extension

WordPerfect Document

Text Files

WPS file extension

Microsoft Works Word Processor Document

Text Files