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

JS file extension

JavaScript File

Web Files

PIF file extension

Program Information File

Executable Files

JAVA file extension

Java Source Code File

Developer Files

ACCDB file extension

Access 2007 Database File

Database Files

GADGET file extension

Windows Gadget

Executable Files

WAV file extension

WAVE Audio File

Audio Files

ASX file extension

Microsoft ASF Redirector File

Video Files

SVG file extension

Scalable Vector Graphics File

Vector Image Files

RA file extension

Real Audio File

Audio Files

TTF file extension

TrueType Font

Font Files

BMP file extension

Bitmap Image File

Raster Image Files

7Z file extension

7-Zip Compressed File

Compressed Files

DEB file extension

Debian Software Package

Compressed Files

VCD file extension

Virtual CD

Disk Image Files

RTF file extension

Rich Text Format File

Text Files