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

ACCDB file extension

Access 2007 Database File

Database Files

BIN file extension

Binary Disc Image

Disk Image Files

CRDOWNLOAD file extension

Chrome Partially Downloaded File

Misc Files

DEB file extension

Debian Software Package

Compressed Files

GADGET file extension

Windows Gadget

Executable Files

IBOOKS file extension

Multi-Touch iBook

Data Files

IFF file extension

Interchange File Format

Audio Files

LUA file extension

Lua Source File

Developer Files

MPA file extension

MPEG-2 Audio File

Audio Files

RA file extension

Real Audio File

Audio Files

RSS file extension

Rich Site Summary

Web Files

SLN file extension

Visual Studio Solution File

Developer Files

TOAST file extension

Toast Disc Image

Disk Image Files

TXT file extension

Plain Text File

Text Files

UUE file extension

Uuencoded File

Encoded Files