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

CLASS file extension

Java Class File

Developer Files

CUR file extension

Windows Cursor

System Files

FON file extension

Generic Font File

Font Files

JAVA file extension

Java Source Code File

Developer Files

JS file extension

JavaScript File

Web Files

MPG file extension

MPEG Video File

Video Files

PDF file extension

Portable Document Format File

Layout Files

PKG file extension

Mac OS X Installer Package

Compressed Files

PPS file extension

PowerPoint Slide Show

Data Files

PY file extension

Python Script

Developer Files

ROM file extension

N64 Game ROM File

Game Files

THM file extension

Thumbnail Image File

Raster Image Files

TIF file extension

Tagged Image File

Raster Image Files

TIFF file extension

Tagged Image File Format

Raster Image Files

WAV file extension

WAVE Audio File

Audio Files