File Extensions:
A Guide for Windows
What they mean and how to use them
© 2000 Walt Howe
(last updated July 18, 1998)
Another source of extension information is Netscape's Application tables, which list many extensions and the application that Netscape uses to handle them.
| Extension | Type | bin or ascii | Software you need for Windows |
|---|---|---|---|
| 386 | Windows 386 Enhanced Mode Driver | bin | Windows |
| ad | Afterdark Screen Saver File | bin | After Dark |
| aif, aiff | Audio Interchange File Format | bin | Beatnik |
| ans | MS-DOS ANSI File | bin | |
| arc | Pkarc Compressed File | bin | pk361.exe |
| arj | ARJ compression | bin | arj241.exe |
| asc | ASCII text file | ascii | Any editor/word processor |
| au | Audio file | bin | Netscape mplayer.exe |
| awd | Fax file | bin | faxview.exe (in Win 95) |
| bak | Backup File | either | Many possibilities |
| b64 | Base64 MIME encoded file | ascii | WinCode |
| bat | Batch File | ascii | msdos, Windows |
| bin | Mac executable et al | bin | Mac |
| bmp | Windows Bitmap Graphic File | bin | Windows |
| btm | Norton NDOS Batch to Memory File | ? | NDOS |
| cdr | Corel Draw Graphic File | bin | Corel Draw |
| cfg | Configuration file | bin | Many possibilities |
| cfm | Corel FontMaster | bin | fontmstr.exe |
| cgm | Computer Graphics Metafile | bin | |
| clp | Windows - Clipboard | bin | Windows |
| com | Executable Program File | bin | msdos, Windows |
| cur | Windows Cursor File | bin | |
| cut | Dr. Halo Graphic File | bin | |
| dbf | Dbase Database File | usually ascii | Dbase, other db programs |
| dcr | ShockWave File | bin | Macromedia Shockwave |
| dde | Dynamic Data Exchange | bin | |
| dib | Windows Graphic File | bin | |
| dll | Windows Dynamic Library Link | bin | Windows |
| doc | Word processing Document File | usually bin |
Word, many others |
| drv | Windows Device Driver | bin | Windows |
| drw | Micrografx Designer Graphic File | bin | Micrografx Designer |
| eps | Encapsulated Postscript Graphic File | bin | Corel et al |
| exe | Executable Program File | bin | msdos or windows. |
| fli | Autodesk Animation File | bin | |
| fon | Font File | bin | Windows |
| fot | Windows True Type Font ( Styles File ) | bin | Windows |
| gif | Compuserve Graphic File | bin | Lview Pro and many others |
| grp | Windows Group File | bin | Windows |
| gz | Gnu unix compression | bin | WinZip |
| hlp | Program on-line Help File | bin? | Windows |
| htm, html | Hyper Text Markup Language file | ascii | A graphical web browser |
| hqx | Binhex (Mac ascii encoded file) | ascii | binhex.exe xbin23.zip |
| icn | Windows Icon File | bin | Windows |
| ico | Windows Icon File | bin | Windows |
| iff | Amiga Graphic File | bin | |
| img | GEM Paint Graphic File | bin | |
| inf | Windows Hardware Info File | bin? | |
| ini | Program Information File | ascii | |
| jas | JAS Compressed Graphic File | bin | |
| jpg, jpeg | JPEG Compressed Graphic File | bin | Lview Pro and many others |
| latex | ascii | ||
| lbm | Deluxe Paint Graphic File | bin | |
| lzh | LHarc | bin | lha213.exe |
| mac | Mac Paint Graphic File | bin | |
| mdb | MS Access Database File | bin | Microsoft Access |
| mid | MIDI Sound File | bin | Netscape mplayer.exe, Crescendo |
| mod | Modulated Sound File | bin | |
| mov | Quick-Time Movie | bin | qtw11.zip |
| moz | Netscape temp save | either | Netscape |
| mp2, mp3 | Mpeg Audio | bin | CineWeb |
| mpg, mpeg | Mpeg video file | bin | Mpeg |
| msp | Microsoft Paint Graphic File | bin | |
| ndx | Dbase Index File | ascii? | |
| ovl | Program Overlay | bin | |
| pal | Graphic Palette File | bin | |
| pcd | Kodak Photo CD | bin | |
| pcx | Zsoft Paintbrush Graphic File | bin | |
| pic | PC Paintbrush Graphic File | bin | |
| pif | Windows Program Information File | bin? | Windows |
| pl | Perl script | ascii | |
| pm5 | Pagemaker 5 Publication File | bin | Pagemaker |
| ps | Postscript file | ascii | Postscript printer or Ghostscript |
| pub | Desktop Publishing Graphic File | bin | |
| ra | RealAudio file | bin | RealAudio |
| ras | Sun Raster Images Graphic File | bin | |
| rd3, rd4, rd5 | Ray Dream Designer graphics | bin | Ray Dream Designer or Corel 6 or later |
| reg | Windows Registration File ( OLE ) | bin? | |
| rle | Compuserve & Windows Graphic File | ascii | |
| sav | Backup File | either | |
| sea | Self-Extracting Archive for Mac | bin | a Macintosh computer |
| sh | ? | ||
| shar | Shell Archive | bin? | |
| snd | Generic Sound File | bin | |
| sys | Device Driver System File | bin | |
| tar | unix archive | bin | tar.exe or WinZip |
| taZ | tar.Z file--both archived and compressed in unix | bin | tarz.exe or WinZip |
| tex | Mathematical word processing format (ascii) | ascii | |
| tga | Truevision Targa Graphic File | bin | |
| tif | Tagged Image File (Graphic) | bin | |
| tmp | Temporary File | either | |
| ttf | Windows True Type Font ( Font File ) | bin | |
| txt | MS-DOS ASCII Text File | ascii | Almost anything |
| uue | Uuencoded file (encoded ascii) | ascii | wncod261.exe |
| voc | bin | ||
| vox | Vox audio | bin | ToolVox |
| vxd | Windows virtual device driver | bin | |
| wav | Windows Sound File | bin | Windows |
| wfn | Windows 3.0 Font File | bin | |
| wk1, etc. | Lotus Worksheet File - WK1 thru WK9 | bin | |
| wks | Lotus Worksheet File | bin | |
| wmf | Windows Meta File | bin | |
| wpg | Wordperfect Graphic File | bin | WordPerfect
DrawPerfect Perfect Presentations |
| wq1 | Quattro Pro Spreadsheet File | bin | Quattro Pro |
| xls | Microsoft Excel Worksheet File | bin | Excel
Other spreadsheets |
| xxe | Xxencoded file (encoded ascii) | ascii | wncod261.exe |
| Z | Unix compression | bin | WinZip |
| z | pack, sometimes gnu zip | bin | Try WinZip |
| zip | Pkzip Compressed File | bin |
pkzip.exe (v. 2.04), WinZip |
| zoo | zoo compression | bin | zoo210.exe |
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