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About File Extensions
To learn about a file extension, click on its first letter below.
 The letters that follow the dot in the file name list the file extension which is used by a computer to decipher which program it should be using to run this file.
Sometimes though, when a new software program is installed its installer will change the previous setting. Executable (.EXE) files are the programs you run for most tasks on a computer.
To manage file types, open Windows Explorer and select "Tools > Folder > Options > File Types" and work within the menu.
Common File Types (Extensions)
Text Files
| .doc |
|
Microsoft Word Document |
| .docx |
|
Microsoft Word Open XML Document |
| .log |
|
Log File |
| .msg |
|
Mail Message |
| .pages |
|
Pages Document |
| .rtf |
|
Rich Text Format File |
| .txt |
|
Plain Text File |
| .wpd |
|
WordPerfect Document |
| .wps |
|
Microsoft Works Word Processor Document |
Data Files
| .123 |
|
Lotus 1-2-3 Spreadsheet |
| .accdb |
|
Access 2007 Database File |
| .csv |
|
Comma Separated Values File |
| .dat |
|
Data File |
| .db |
|
Database File |
| .dll |
|
Dynamic Link Library |
| .mdb |
|
Microsoft Access Database |
| .pps |
|
PowerPoint Slide Show |
| .ppt |
|
PowerPoint Presentation |
| .sdb |
|
OpenOffice.org Base Database File |
| .sql |
|
Structured Query Language Data |
| .vcf |
|
vCard File |
| .wks |
|
Microsoft Works Spreadsheet |
| .xls |
|
Microsoft Excel Spreadsheet |
| .xlsx |
|
Microsoft Excel Open XML Document |
| .xml |
|
XML File |
Compressed Files
| .7z |
|
7-Zip Compressed File | | .deb |
|
Debian Software Package | | .gz |
|
Gnu Zipped File | | .pkg |
|
Mac OS X Installer Package | | .rar |
|
WinRAR Compressed Archive | | .sea |
|
Self-Extracting Archive | | .sit |
|
Stuffit Archive | | .sitx |
|
Stuffit X Archive | | .zip |
|
Zipped File | | .zipx |
|
Extended Zip File |
Free Trial - WinZip 12 Standard
 |
|
Audio Files
| .aac |
|
Advanced Audio Coding File |
| .aif |
|
Audio Interchange File Format |
| .iff |
|
Interchange File Format |
| .m3u |
|
Media Playlist File |
| .mid |
|
MIDI File |
| .midi |
|
MIDI File |
| .mp3 |
|
MP3 Audio File |
| .mpa |
|
MPEG-2 Audio File |
| .ra |
|
Real Audio File |
| .wav |
|
WAVE Audio File |
| .wma |
|
Windows Media Audio File |
Video Files
| .3g2 |
3GPP2 Multimedia File |
| .3gp |
3GPP Multimedia File |
| .asf |
Advanced Systems Format File |
| .asx |
Microsoft ASF Redirector File |
| .avi |
Audio Video Interleave File |
| .flv |
Flash Video File |
| .mkv |
Matroska Video File |
| .mov |
Apple QuickTime Movie |
| .mp4 |
MPEG-4 Video File |
| .mpg |
MPEG Video File |
| .qt |
Apple QuickTime Movie |
| .rm |
Real Media File |
| .swf |
Flash Movie |
| .vob |
DVD Video Object File |
| .wmv |
Windows Media Video File |
Image Files
Raster Image Files
| .bmp |
|
Bitmap Image File |
| .gif |
|
Graphical Interchange Format |
| .jpg |
|
JPEG Image File |
| .png |
|
Portable Network Graphic |
| .psd |
|
Photoshop Document |
| .psp |
|
Paint Shop Pro Image File |
| .thm |
|
Thumbnail Image File |
| .tif |
|
Tagged Image File |
|
How to View of File Extensions in Windows OS
On some versions of Windows, file extensions do not show up on your computer by default when you view a list of filenames. To turn file extensions on:
- Open any window that will display a list of filenames.
- Choose Tools > Folder Options...
- Select the View tab, in the Folder Options dialog box.
- Remove the check mark beside the listing for "Hide extensions for known file types".
- Click OK.
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