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

CRDOWNLOAD file extension

Chrome Partially Downloaded File

Misc Files

MPA file extension

MPEG-2 Audio File

Audio Files

TIF file extension

Tagged Image File

Raster Image Files

AI file extension

Adobe Illustrator File

Vector Image Files

GAM file extension

Saved Game File

Game Files

7Z file extension

7-Zip Compressed File

Compressed Files

MPG file extension

MPEG Video File

Video Files

WMV file extension

Windows Media Video File

Video Files

CPP file extension

C++ Source Code File

Developer Files

UUE file extension

Uuencoded File

Encoded Files

PART file extension

Partially Downloaded File

Misc Files

DOC# file extension

Microsoft Word Document

Text Files

ASPX file extension

Active Server Page Extended File

Web Files

BAT file extension

DOS Batch File

Executable Files

PPT file extension

PowerPoint Presentation

Data Files