Types of file Extensions

File extensions are used to indicate the format of files so operating systems know what to do with them.

For e.g. Windows file names have two parts; the file's name, then a period followed by the extension (suffix).

The extension is a three- or four-letter abbreviation that signifies the file type. For example, in letter.docx the filename is letter and the extension is docx.

Extensions are important because they tell our computer what icon to use for the file, and what application can open the file. For example, the doc extension tells our computer that the file is a Microsoft Word file.

Types of File Extensions:

Text Files Extensions:

.docx : Microsoft Open Word XML Document
.doc : Microsoft Word Document
.txt : Plain Text File
.rtf : Rich Text Format
.odt : OpenOffice/StarOffice File

Image Files Extensions:

.bmp : Bitmap Image File:
.gif : Graphical Interchange Format File
.jpg : JPEG (Joint Picture Expert Group) Image
.png : Portable Network Graphic
.psd : Adobe Photoshop Document
.thm : Thumbnail Image File
.tif : Tagged Image File

Audio Files Extensions:

.mp3 : MP3 Audio File
.wav : Wave Audio File
.aac : MPEG-2 Advanced Audio Coding File
.wma : Windows Media Audio File
.m4a : MPEG-4 Audio File

Video Files Extensions:

.avi : Audio Video Interleave File
.mp4 : MPEG-4 Video File
.mov : Video Clip
.flv : Video File
.mpg : MPEG 1 System Stream (Moving/ Motion Picture Expert Group)

Data Files Extensions:

.pdf : Portable Document Format File
.xls : Excel Spreadsheet File
.ppt : PowerPoint Presentation
.mdb : Microsoft Access Database
.ods : Open Document spreadsheet
.odp : Open Document presentation
.sql : Structured Query Language Data File
.ini : Initialization/Configuration File
.sys : System File

Compression Files Extensions:

.zip : ZIP File
.rar : WinRAR Compressed Archive
.7z : Compressed File
.tar : Consolidated Unix File Archive
.gz : GNU Zipped Archive File

Executable Files Extensions:

.exe : Windows Executable File
.msi : Windows Installer File
.bin : Binary Disc Image

Web Files Extensions

.asp : Active Server Page
.aspx : Active Server Page Extended File
.cer : Internet Security Certificate
.css : Cascading Style Sheet
.htm : Hypertext Markup Language File
.html : Hypertext Markup Language File
.js : JavaScript File
.jsp : Java Server Page
.php : PHP Source Code File
.xhtml : Extensible Hypertext Markup Language File