Everyone who has used a personal computer at least once in their life knows that all files have a specific format. You can read it by clicking on the file name. It looks like this: the first part is a user-defined name that is closed by a period; the second is the file formats themselves. The ones we are used to dealing with are most often the most common. For movies, it's .avi, for music, .mp3 and .wav, and for photos, .jpg. However, there are tons of other file extensions. We will talk about them in this article. In addition, we will look at the main programs with which these files can be opened properly.
Open file formats for viewing
The first observation that a user may have is that he may not see the file format on his computer. That is, only the main file name will be available for editing (changing) and reading, and not the data after the format separation point. If you have just such a situation, do not worry, there is nothing wrong with that.
The Windows operating system has the ability to hide file formats. This is done to more conveniently use a computer for those people who do not change the format, and they need a PC exclusively for working with data, maybe even for home use. Enabling or disabling the function of hiding formats is quite simple. You need to go to "Service" - the item that is at the top of the window of any folder, then select the "Folder Options" drop-down menu. It, accordingly, will open a dialog box where you can edit the display features of folders and files. There you need to click “View” and check (or uncheck) the checkbox next to the item “Hide extensions for registered file types”. If extensions are hidden, the format will not be displayed.
File format. General purpose program
Besides the fact that you need to consider how to make the computer show and hide formats, you also need to give a little explanation about the so-called target program with which the file can be opened. It can also be called a general purpose program.
Here's the thing: the same file formats can be opened by different applications. Let's say .jpg is opened by both programs for viewing images and graphic editors to change it. They can also be opened and imported into presentation software, for example. However, the application through which we will open our image in .jpg depends on our goal - what we want to do with it. Therefore, in the following explanations we will take this into account.
Formatted Text Files
Let's start with a description of the files containing formatted text. Of course, the most common of these is the Word file format (.doc, .docx). They can easily convey text with additional settings (such as headings, page layout, and so on). Such files are conveniently edited in all versions of Microsoft Office Word (with the exception of .docx files in the 2003 program and earlier). Most users use this particular text editor, capable of transmitting text format.
In addition, one can name another format - .rtf, which can also be opened with Word, and with another, simpler editor - WordPad.
Well, of course, one cannot help but recall that there is a file in .pdf format. It is able to transmit not only textual information (stored, for example, through Office Word), but also contain graphic elements. You can paste them through image editors, such as Adobe Photoshop.
Files with text without format
If we talk about the form in which text files can be found, we cannot, of course, not name the most popular extension. Although it is not capable of transmitting text formatting: headers, pictures, tables, etc., nevertheless, the characters and signs of the text themselves are best transmitted by the .txt file format.
It is best to create and read it using the base editor, which is available on all personal computers (and not only on the Windows operating system). This is Notepad.
For whatever purpose you create this or that text, it is simple and convenient to do it with the help of this program. It can be either “handy” notes on the desktop, or system files designed to be hosted or to collect data using scripts and programs.
Graphics programs
Of course, the most important role when working with a computer is graphics for each of us. It doesn’t matter what you do: just show your friends photos from your vacation or create a website design - in each of these, as well as in many other cases, you will find graphic file formats.
As a rule, these are the well-known .jpg and .jpeg (the most common), .bmp (created using the standard Paint program), .png (icons that can support a transparent background when transferring pictures), .gif (animated images consisting of several frames) and .psd (a standard Photoshop file that preserves the working area of ​​the image). Of course, there are a lot more graphic files, but not all of them encounter them. Let's start with an analysis of the main areas where we work with graphics.
View Graphics
Of course, all image file formats can be opened for viewing. Some (such as .gif, .jpg and .png) can be viewed using basic programs for viewing pictures installed on any Windows; others are able to open only with the help of special programs designed for editing (for example, .psd or a CorelDraw file). In this case, the image can not only be watched, but also changed as you please.
The advantages of viewing programs are that they allow you to conveniently get acquainted with the content (sometimes even on a large scale). In addition, there are applications that can perform small manipulations on photographs (such as creating additional illumination, eliminating the red-eye effect and others). Of course, they can also be called editors, but formally they relate to such software that only makes it possible to inspect images.
Image editing
As for the deeper changes in photos and pictures, then you can not do without editors. Of course, there are a lot of narrowly targeted programs that allow you to simply and quickly perform one or another operation (for example, resizing photos or applying filters). However, Photoshop remains the most versatile and flexible in any case. With this program, you don’t need to think about how to open the file format of graphic content - it supports the widest range of extensions. And, notably, the vast majority of them are subject to change. The possibilities that PS gives its users are simply unrealistic to list.
Music files
We’ll move from photos to music and recordings - another category of popular content among PC users. Of course, the .mp3 file format should be mentioned here . This is the most popular extension that can guarantee the high quality sound of your music. It is compatible with almost any device that can play media files.
Further it is possible to note the formats .wave (which at one time was actively used on mobile phones that do not support .mp3), .aac, .aiff, .flac, .ogg. The differences between this or that format are that some of them use audio compression, which results in the loss of sound quality. Others do not resort to such distortion, but the files are more cumbersome.
You can open a sound file using any player. The most popular of them support a huge number of formats.
Movies and videos
Those who often watch TV shows or some movies are well aware that such files are predominantly provided in .avi format. This is the best option from the “File Storage Formats” category from the point of view of visual and audio data transfer, since it is capable of showing high quality on a maximum number of devices. However, besides him, of course, you can watch videos in worse quality, but using earlier versions of mobile phones (.3gp), as well as in .mp4 format (for the older generation of players), .mpeg and others.
Again, as in the case of audio recordings, you can open them with any video player on Windows or MacOS.
Web page format
You know that many site addresses end in .html. Strange, isn't it? It would seem like a page on the Internet can end just like a file extension?
Everything is very simple! In fact, by going to a particular resource, we turn to this file. And of course, if you see the .html file format on your computer, be sure that you have a web page. How to open it?
It all depends on the purpose of running such a file. Say, if you just need to view its contents and how the code is displayed, you can safely use a browser (Google Chrome, Opera, Mozilla - of your choice).
In the same case, if you want to change the page, you need to start it using text editors, starting with the simplest, Notepad, and ending with a comprehensive solution for creating web pages - Adobe Dreamweaver.
System files and runtime files
So, having finished considering such types of files as music, pictures, films and web pages, we will move on to another equally important category of data that we all encounter very often - these are system files.
As a rule, we know that they play an important role in the operation of our system. And we try not to touch them, so as not to encounter problems at the operating system level. Such files often go in .dll format, and we are used to ignoring them.
Another category is runtime files with the extension .exe. We know that if we run such a file, we open the program or application to which it belongs. Often, when downloading an unknown file such as file.exe from the Internet, we can also see a warning from an anti-virus application that signals the threat of such files.
Indeed, .exe can run a wide range of scripts on your computer, so you should be careful with them.
What happens if you change the format?
We will also touch upon a topic such as selecting a program with which you can open a file of one or another format.
The fact is that many data extensions are so flexible that they can be opened through different applications. An example is .jpg. In a regular photo viewer, you will see the picture itself, while in Photoshop you will have a whole working field open that allows you to change anything in this image.
This is a clear example of the fact that the set of available actions in each individual case depends on the software with which we work. If you open the index.html file in a browser, you will see the site page, while in notepad it will be a lot of lines with code. Etc.
True, of course, you can change programs to open different types of files within reasonable limits. Let's just say: you can open the audio file with a notepad, but what you see will not tell you anything: it will be a mass of encoded information displayed in the form of "hieroglyphs".
Hide file extensions
So, we conducted a brief tour of the file formats that ordinary users deal with most often. Of course, there are many more. And it is clear that not with each of them you worked personally. It’s just that maybe you didn’t think about the purpose of some formats, but now they have become at least a little clearer to you.
Now, if you are uncomfortable constantly seeing the type of a file for certain reasons (for example, so as not to accidentally change the format in the name), you can disable this feature. You can do this in the "Properties" of any folder by checking the box "Do not display file extensions." Most home computer users are advised by experts to do just that, so as not to get confused about what format the file has when renaming it.