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

ASF file extension

Advanced Systems Format File

Video Files

BIN file extension

Binary Disc Image

Disk Image Files

C file extension

C/C++ Source Code File

Developer Files

CAB file extension

Windows Cabinet File

System Files

DB file extension

Database File

Database Files

FLA file extension

Adobe Flash Animation

Developer Files

GAM file extension

Saved Game File

Game Files

JPG file extension

JPEG Image

Raster Image Files

PKG file extension

Mac OS X Installer Package

Compressed Files

RA file extension

Real Audio File

Audio Files

RPM file extension

Red Hat Package Manager File

Compressed Files

RTF file extension

Rich Text Format File

Text Files

SWF file extension

Shockwave Flash Movie

Video Files

TIFF file extension

Tagged Image File Format

Raster Image Files

ZIPX file extension

Extended Zip File

Compressed Files