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

DAT file extension

Data File

Data Files

DBF file extension

Database File

Database Files

DMP file extension

Windows Memory Dump

System Files

EPUB file extension

Open eBook File

eBook Files

MIM file extension

Multi-Purpose Internet Mail Message File

Encoded Files

MSG file extension

Outlook Mail Message

Text Files

MSI file extension

Windows Installer Package

Misc Files

PAGES file extension

Pages Document

Text Files

PART file extension

Partially Downloaded File

Misc Files

SLN file extension

Visual Studio Solution File

Developer Files

VCXPROJ file extension

Visual C++ Project

Developer Files

WAV file extension

WAVE Audio File

Audio Files

XHTML file extension

Extensible Hypertext Markup Language File

Web Files

XML file extension

XML File

Data Files