The world of computing is filled with a variety of different file types, each of which has its own specific purpose and use. While it can be difficult to keep track of all of the different types of files and their associated file extensions, knowing a few of the most common ones can be a huge help when it comes to navigating your computer. Here is a list of the top 100 file extensions and their associated uses.
1. .TXT – Plain Text File
2. .DOC – Microsoft Word Document
3. .PDF – Portable Document Format
4. .XLS – Microsoft Excel Spreadsheet
5. .PPT – Microsoft PowerPoint Presentation
6. .JPG – JPEG Image File
7. .PNG – Portable Network Graphics Image
8. .GIF – Graphics Interchange Format
9. .HTM or .HTML – Hypertext Markup Language File
10. .ZIP – Compressed Folder
11. .RAR – Compressed Archive File
12. .EXE – Executable File
13. .DLL – Dynamic Link Library File
14. .BAT – Batch File
15. .SYS – System File
16. .INI – Initialization File
17. .TIF or .TIFF – Tagged Image File Format
18. .MP3 – Compressed Audio File
19. .WAV – Uncompressed Audio File
20. .MOV – QuickTime Movie File
21. .AVI – Audio Video Interleave File
22. .MP4 – MPEG-4 Video File
23. .FLV – Flash Video File
24. .SWF – Shockwave Flash File
25. .CSS – Cascading Style Sheet File
26. .JS – JavaScript File
27. .XML – Extensible Markup Language File
28. .VBS – Visual Basic Script File
29. .REG – Windows Registry File
30. .C – C Programming Language File
31. .CPP – C++ Programming Language File
32. .H – C/C++ Header File
33. .ASP – Active Server Page File
34. .ASPX – ASP.NET File
35. .JSP – Java Server Page File
36. .PHP – PHP Script File
37. .SQL – Structured Query Language File
38. .CLASS – Java Class File
39. .JAR – Java Archive File
40. .PL – Perl Script File
41. .PY – Python Script File
42. .RTF – Rich Text Format File
43. .DWG – Autodesk AutoCAD Drawing File
44. .DXF – Autodesk AutoCAD Drawing Exchange File
45. .DWF – Autodesk Design Web Format File
46. .ODT – OpenOffice.org Text Document
47. .ODS – OpenOffice.org Spreadsheet
48. .ODP – OpenOffice.org Presentation
49. .WPS – Microsoft Works Document
50. .DOCX – Microsoft Word 2007 Document
51. .XLSX – Microsoft Excel 2007 Spreadsheet
52. .PPTX – Microsoft PowerPoint 2007 Presentation
53. .DOCM – Microsoft Word Macro-Enabled Document
54. .XLSM – Microsoft Excel Macro-Enabled Spreadsheet
55. .PPTM – Microsoft PowerPoint Macro-Enabled Presentation
56. .DMG – Apple Mac OS X Disk Image
57. .ISO – Disk Image File
58. .BIN – Binary Disc Image
59. .TAR – Tape Archive File
60. .GZ – Gzip Compressed Archive File
61. .7Z – 7-Zip Compressed Archive File
61. .M4A – MPEG-4 Audio File
62. .AIF or .AIFF – Audio Interchange File Format
63. .OGG – Ogg Vorbis Audio File
64. .WMA – Windows Media Audio File
65. .MIDI – MIDI Music File
66. .FLAC – Free Lossless Audio Codec File
67. .APE – Monkey’s Audio File
68. .CUE – Cue Sheet File
69. .3GP – 3GPP Multimedia File
70. .AAC – Advanced Audio Coding File
71. .M4V – MPEG-4 Video File
72. .ASF – Advanced Systems Format File
73. .WMV – Windows Media Video File
74. .RM – Real Media File
75. .RA – Real Audio File
76. .RAM – Real Media RAM File
77. .DAT – Data File
78. .BMP – Bitmap Image File
79. .AI – Adobe Illustrator File
80. .EPS – Encapsulated PostScript File
81. .PSD – Adobe Photoshop File
82. .SVG – Scalable Vector Graphics File
83. .CDR – CorelDRAW Image File
84. .FNT – Font File
85. .FON – Font File
86. .TTF – TrueType Font File
87. .TORRENT – BitTorrent File
88. .VSD – Microsoft Visio Drawing
89. .PSP – Paint Shop Pro Image File
90. .SIT – StuffIt Archive File
91. .SITX – StuffIt X Archive File
92. .MPG – MPEG Video File
93. .3G2 – 3GPP2 Multimedia File
94. .AMR – Adaptive Multi-Rate Audio File
95. .M3U – Media Playlist File
96. .PLS – Audio Playlist File
97. .WPL – Windows Media Player Playlist
98. .APK – Android Package File
99. .APPX – Windows App Package
100. .MSI – Windows Installer Package