Displaying File Extensions

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated August 31, 2020)

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:

  1. Display the Control Panel.
  2. Click the Appearance and Personalization link.
  3. Click Folder Options (Windows 7 and Windows 8) or File Explorer Options (Windows 10). Windows displays the Folder Options (or File Explorer Options) dialog box.
  4. Make sure the View tab is displayed. (See Figure 1.)

    5. Figure 1. The View tab of the File Explorer Options dialog box.

  5. Clear the Hide Extensions for Known File Types checkbox.
  6. Click OK.

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.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. ...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Setting Up Your Printer

Need your printed output to look its best? You may need to change the settings used by your printer, then. Here's how to ...

Discover More

Creating Add-Ins

Want to create your own add-in? Excel makes it easy to do. Here are all the steps you need.

Discover More

Dealing with Large Numbers of Seconds

When adding values to a time to calculate a new time, you may naturally choose to use the TIME function. This can cause ...

Discover More
More WindowsTips

What are the Limits on File Names?

It's good to know what the limits are when naming files, although in most cases the limits are sufficiently high that ...

Discover More

Checking the Size of Apps

Need to know how much disk space is consumed by the small applications (apps) installed on your system? Windows makes it ...

Discover More

Repairing Your System Using a System Repair Disk

If your system gets into a state where it cannot be started normally, this tip presents you with options of how you can ...

Discover More
Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

What is four less than 6?

There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)

Newest Tips
Links and Sharing
OUR COMPANY
OUR PRODUCTS
OUR SITES
 

Copyright © 2026 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.