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

CS file extension

Visual C# Source Code File

Developer Files

EPS file extension

Encapsulated PostScript File

Vector Image Files

EPUB file extension

Open eBook File

eBook Files

FON file extension

Generic Font File

Font Files

MP3 file extension

MP3 Audio File

Audio Files

PDB file extension

Program Database

Database Files

RTF file extension

Rich Text Format File

Text Files

SAV file extension

Saved Game

Game Files

SLN file extension

Visual Studio Solution File

Developer Files

TGA file extension

Targa Graphic

Raster Image Files

TORRENT file extension

BitTorrent File

Misc Files

VCF file extension

vCard File

Data Files

WAV file extension

WAVE Audio File

Audio Files

WPD file extension

WordPerfect Document

Text Files

3GP file extension

3GPP Multimedia File

Video Files