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

BAT file extension

DOS Batch File

Executable Files

CUR file extension

Windows Cursor

System Files

DBF file extension

Database File

Database Files

DOC# file extension

Microsoft Word Document

Text Files

DRV file extension

Device Driver

System Files

EPS file extension

Encapsulated PostScript File

Vector Image Files

LNK file extension

Windows File Shortcut

System Files

MP3 file extension

MP3 Audio File

Audio Files

ODT file extension

OpenDocument Text Document

Text Files

RAR file extension

WinRAR Compressed Archive

Compressed Files

SVG file extension

Scalable Vector Graphics File

Vector Image Files

TEX file extension

LaTeX Source Document

Text Files

TOAST file extension

Toast Disc Image

Disk Image Files

WMV file extension

Windows Media Video File

Video Files

3G2 file extension

3GPP2 Multimedia File

Video Files