Lesson 9File Types

File Extensions

The file extension tells the operating system what type of program it needs to open, view, print, or edit a particular file.

A suffix consisting of a period and the last three or four characters after the name of the file.

Document Files

Microsoft Word

.doc

PowerPoint Presentation

.ppt

Spreadsheet

.xls

Portable Document Format

.pdfA file format that provides an electronic image of text or

text and graphics that looks like a printed document.

Image Files

JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group)

.jpegThe JPEG file format supports 16 million colors and is best

suited for photographs and complex graphics.

PNG (Portable Network Graphics)

.pngPNG does not support animation as GIF does, and some

older browsers do not support this file format.

GIF.gif

Graphics Interchange FormatAn animation or a graphic used for websites.

Audio and Video Files

MP3.mp3

MP3 files are commonly used to store a song and require very little hard drive space. A computer can

save several hundred or thousands of songs.

MP4.mp4

A presentation that is saved as a video.

The MP4 file format plays on many media players, such as

Windows Media Player.

Windows Media Video

.wmvLimited on what applications can open this file.