By default, Windows is configured so that file extensions are not displayed—at least they aren't displayed for extensions that Windows recognizes. So instead of seeing a file whose name is "MyFile.txt," Windows only displays "MyFile." This could get confusing if you have different types of files with the same name, like "MyFile.txt," "MyFile.docx," "MyFile.jpg," etc. Each of these—because Windows recognizes the extension—would be displayed simply as "MyFile."
To eliminate the possibility for confusion, many users change how Windows is configured so that it displays the file extensions. This allows you to see the full name of every file you work with.
To turn on the display of file extensions, follow these steps:
Figure 1. The View tab of the File Explorer Options dialog box.
The checkbox in step 5 determines whether the system should hide extensions for known file types. The checkbox is selected by default, so file extensions are not displayed. When you clear it (and then click OK), the extensions are immediately unhidden and you can see full file names.
An interesting tidbit if you are using Windows 10: You can also change the setting by going through the File Explorer. Display a File Explorer window, click the View tab, and then click the Options tool. You see the exact same File Explorer Options dialog box, but this time it is named Folder Options, just as in earlier versions of Windows.
This tip (12859) applies to Windows 7, 8, and 10.
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2018-04-02 22:24:54
Mike McCarthy
While it is really useful to be able to view the file type when viewing files in File Explorer, switching the display file extension function on, as described above, has implications in other Microsoft programs, particularly Word.
If you use field names, such as filename, with the "display file extension function" in File Explorer off, you will see just the file name, but when the "display file extension function" is on, then you display the extension in the Word document too - something you may not want. Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be a switch within Word to control this.
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