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 What Are File Extensions and how do you show them?
Free Computer Help
By Mitz
File extensions basically let you know what type of information is contained in
a particular file. For example a note pad file has the .txt extension. This
means it is a text file. The .jpeg or sometimes the .jpg is a file extension for
a certain type of picture. The file extension can also mean that the file has a
different attribute to another file. For you can have the same picture with a
.bmp file extension or a .jpeg file extension. However if it was a .jpeg file
the same picture would be a smaller file size than the .bmp file.
Here are
some other examples of file extensions.
-
.exe (An executable file, usually
the file that starts a program.)
-
.pdf (Portable
Document Format, is a file format created by Adobe Systems. Most office
documents come in .pdf file format.)
-
.zip/.rar (These could be any file
but they have been compressed and packed away to a smaller size. When unpacked
or unzipped it will become what it was originally.)
-
.wav/ .mp3 (Music files)
-
.jpg/.gif/.bmp (Picture file
formats)
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By default, file extensions are hidden to the
computer user. Therefore to see file extensions on your computer you must follow
these steps:
To show or unhide file extensions:
- Open any folder on your computer.
- Choose Tools
from the menu above.
- Choose Folder Options
from the menu.
- Click the View tab.
- Uncheck Hide
extensions for known file types.
- Click OK.
About the Author
Mitz wrote this article and others for
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