When it comes to tech-geek terms, some of us simply can’t catch up. There are many things that we encounter daily when we use the computer but we simply accept them as the norm – file extensions are one of them. You usually save your file, .doc, .txt, .pdf, .ppt..wmv, .avi, .mov and many others but you never really cared what those three to four letter extensions mean.
File extensions or file name extensions are actually suffixes to a name of a computer file to indicate its encoding type or its file format. They are typically consists of three or four letters at the end of the filename after a period that separates them. Your computer will be able to read your file and send out a command to the proper application when you execute your file. For instance, your file.doc will open on Microsoft Word when you execute it because the computer recognizes it as a word document.
Some of the most common file extensions are .exe for executable programs, .dll for dynamic link libraries, .doc and docx which are opened and edited using Microsoft word, .xls and .xlsx for Microsoft Excel spreadsheets. There are also file extensions which can cause problems on your PC and this happens when you open a file using non-compatible software. You should also be wary of some files that you do not really recognize because most viruses come with .bat or .exe extensions.
