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

DESKTHEMEPACK file extension

Windows 8 Desktop Theme Pack File

System Files

M4V file extension

iTunes Video File

Video Files

MAX file extension

3ds Max Scene File

3D Image Files

PAGES file extension

Pages Document

Text Files

PLUGIN file extension

Mac OS X Plug-in

Plugin Files

PPT file extension

PowerPoint Presentation

Data Files

SH file extension

Bash Shell Script

Developer Files

SITX file extension

StuffIt X Archive

Compressed Files

SRT file extension

SubRip Subtitle File

Video Files

TGA file extension

Targa Graphic

Raster Image Files

TIFF file extension

Tagged Image File Format

Raster Image Files

VCF file extension

vCard File

Data Files

YUV file extension

YUV Encoded Image File

Raster Image Files

7Z file extension

7-Zip Compressed File

Compressed Files