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

BIN file extension

Binary Disc Image

Disk Image Files

CBR file extension

Comic Book RAR Archive

Compressed Files

CRDOWNLOAD file extension

Chrome Partially Downloaded File

Misc Files

CSV file extension

Comma Separated Values File

Data Files

DEM file extension

Video Game Demo File

Game Files

FNT file extension

Windows Font File

Font Files

GADGET file extension

Windows Gadget

Executable Files

GIF file extension

Graphical Interchange Format File

Raster Image Files

MDB file extension

Microsoft Access Database

Database Files

PART file extension

Partially Downloaded File

Misc Files

PL file extension

Perl Script

Developer Files

PLUGIN file extension

Mac OS X Plug-in

Plugin Files

RM file extension

Real Media File

Video Files

TORRENT file extension

BitTorrent File

Misc Files

WMA file extension

Windows Media Audio File

Audio Files