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

AZW file extension

Amazon Kindle eBook File

eBook Files

CS file extension

Visual C# Source Code File

Developer Files

DB file extension

Database File

Database Files

GAM file extension

Saved Game File

Game Files

GED file extension

GEDCOM Genealogy Data File

Data Files

GPX file extension

GPS Exchange File

GIS Files

JAR file extension

Java Archive File

Executable Files

PCT file extension

Picture File

Layout Files

PS file extension

PostScript File

Vector Image Files

RPM file extension

Red Hat Package Manager File

Compressed Files

RSS file extension

Rich Site Summary

Web Files

SQL file extension

Structured Query Language Data File

Database Files

SVG file extension

Scalable Vector Graphics File

Vector Image Files

WMA file extension

Windows Media Audio File

Audio Files

ZIP file extension

Zipped File

Compressed Files