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

ASF file extension

Advanced Systems Format File

Video Files

DB file extension

Database File

Database Files

DWG file extension

AutoCAD Drawing Database File

CAD Files

EPS file extension

Encapsulated PostScript File

Vector Image Files

FON file extension

Generic Font File

Font Files

ICNS file extension

Mac OS X Icon Resource File

System Files

M3U file extension

Media Playlist File

Audio Files

MPA file extension

MPEG-2 Audio File

Audio Files

PPT file extension

PowerPoint Presentation

Data Files

ROM file extension

N64 Game ROM File

Game Files

TMP file extension

Temporary File

Backup Files

VB file extension

VBScript File

Executable Files

VCD file extension

Virtual CD

Disk Image Files

WMA file extension

Windows Media Audio File

Audio Files

XCODEPROJ file extension

Xcode Project

Developer Files