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

CBR file extension

Comic Book RAR Archive

Compressed Files

CRX file extension

Chrome Extension

Plugin Files

DDS file extension

DirectDraw Surface

Raster Image Files

DNG file extension

Digital Negative Image File

Camera Raw Files

DWG file extension

AutoCAD Drawing Database File

CAD Files

LUA file extension

Lua Source File

Developer Files

PHP file extension

PHP Source Code File

Web Files

PPS file extension

PowerPoint Slide Show

Data Files

PPTX file extension

PowerPoint Open XML Presentation

Data Files

PY file extension

Python Script

Developer Files

RPM file extension

Red Hat Package Manager File

Compressed Files

SVG file extension

Scalable Vector Graphics File

Vector Image Files

TAR file extension

Consolidated Unix File Archive

Data Files

VCXPROJ file extension

Visual C++ Project

Developer Files

ZIPX file extension

Extended Zip File

Compressed Files