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

ASX file extension

Microsoft ASF Redirector File

Video Files

AVI file extension

Audio Video Interleave File

Video Files

DOC file extension

Microsoft Word Document

Text Files

EXE file extension

Windows Executable File

Executable Files

FLA file extension

Adobe Flash Animation

Developer Files

JS file extension

JavaScript File

Web Files

MOBI file extension

Mobipocket eBook

eBook Files

PLUGIN file extension

Mac OS X Plug-in

Plugin Files

PRF file extension

Outlook Profile File

Settings Files

PSPIMAGE file extension

PaintShop Pro Image

Raster Image Files

RPM file extension

Red Hat Package Manager File

Compressed Files

RTF file extension

Rich Text Format File

Text Files

SVG file extension

Scalable Vector Graphics File

Vector Image Files

TOAST file extension

Toast Disc Image

Disk Image Files

UUE file extension

Uuencoded File

Encoded Files