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

ASP file extension

Active Server Page

Web Files

BIN file extension

Binary Disc Image

Disk Image Files

FON file extension

Generic Font File

Font Files

GPX file extension

GPS Exchange File

GIS Files

GZ file extension

Gnu Zipped Archive

Compressed Files

LOG file extension

Log File

Text Files

PDF file extension

Portable Document Format File

Layout Files

PHP file extension

PHP Source Code File

Web Files

PL file extension

Perl Script

Developer Files

PNG file extension

Portable Network Graphic

Raster Image Files

RPM file extension

Red Hat Package Manager File

Compressed Files

SLN file extension

Visual Studio Solution File

Developer Files

TTF file extension

TrueType Font

Font Files

WSF file extension

Windows Script File

Executable Files