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

APK file extension

Android Package File

Executable Files

BIN file extension

Binary Disc Image

Disk Image Files

CBR file extension

Comic Book RAR Archive

Compressed Files

DEM file extension

Video Game Demo File

Game Files

EPUB file extension

Open eBook File

eBook Files

FON file extension

Generic Font File

Font Files

GIF file extension

Graphical Interchange Format File

Raster Image Files

IFF file extension

Interchange File Format

Audio Files

LOG file extension

Log File

Text Files

PPTX file extension

PowerPoint Open XML Presentation

Data Files

SLN file extension

Visual Studio Solution File

Developer Files

SVG file extension

Scalable Vector Graphics File

Vector Image Files

VB file extension

VBScript File

Executable Files

WMA file extension

Windows Media Audio File

Audio Files

XML file extension

XML File

Data Files