How to Show File Extensions in Windows
The file extension is the portion of the file name to the right of the period. The extension is limited in DOS to three letters. A file's extension is important because it tells us what type of file Windows thinks it is. Unfortunately, Windows does not display the file extensions for known file types by default. The following steps explain how to display the file extension.
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Instructions
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Click on the "Start" button and then select "Control Panel." Open the "Folder Options" shortcut in the control panel by double-clicking on it to bring up the "Folder Options" dialog box.
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Bring up the Folder Options dialog box by a second method by clicking on the "Tools" menu item from any Windows Explorer window, and then clicking on "Folder Options ..."
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Select "View" on the "Folder Options" dialog box and use the left mouse button to uncheck the box marked "Hide extensions for known file types."
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Press the "Apply" button to make the change or click on "OK" to make the change, and then make the "Folder Options ..." dialog box disappear.
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Go to a Windows Explorer window and look at the Name column. Notice how the extension is included as part of the name for all the files whether the extension is known to Windows or not. This is helpful when two or more file names in the same folder are identical except for the extension.
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