How to Show File Extensions in Windows 10

There will come times where you would like to see what type of file is saved on your PC – or, technically, what extension it has been assigned. File extensions define the type of file and can be useful to find more information on the file, what it is used for and what programs can run it. For each file extension there are normally numerous programs that can run it. For example, JPG’s can be opened by hundreds of different types of photo/image viewers and editors. DOCX (Word document) files can be opened not only by Microsoft Word but also by other applications such as Open Office and Libre Office.

Why else might I want to see a file extension?

File extensions are much easier to modify if you can actually see them. Once you have them displayed in File Explorer, you can change them just as you would change the file name – using the rename option.

This can be useful to change the case of the extension – particularly if you’re distributing a file to a Linux or mac OS based system.

Beware though – simply changing a file extension to a different type doesn’t change the actual file. To change the type of a file you will usually have to open it in an application that can display/edit these files and choose the ‘Save As…’ option.

So, how do I display the file extensions?

Watch our quick video guide below!

Let us know what you think in the comments!