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

C file extension

C/C++ Source Code File

Developer Files

CBR file extension

Comic Book RAR Archive

Compressed Files

DMG file extension

Mac OS X Disk Image

Disk Image Files

EPS file extension

Encapsulated PostScript File

Vector Image Files

GAM file extension

Saved Game File

Game Files

ISO file extension

Disc Image File

Disk Image Files

RPM file extension

Red Hat Package Manager File

Compressed Files

SH file extension

Bash Shell Script

Developer Files

SWF file extension

Shockwave Flash Movie

Video Files

TAX2012 file extension

TurboTax 2012 Tax Return

Data Files

VB file extension

VBScript File

Executable Files

VOB file extension

DVD Video Object File

Video Files

WMV file extension

Windows Media Video File

Video Files

3G2 file extension

3GPP2 Multimedia File

Video Files