What Extensions Are Used for Screensaver Files?

Screensavers run when computers are idle.

A screensaver is a program that runs when the computer is idle to produce an image on the monitor. Macs, PCs and Linux machines have screensaver capabilities. Screensavers are typically moving pictures or animations. The extensions on the screensavers vary depending on the operating system and are essentially the same as ".exe" extensions.

History

Screensavers have been around since the early days of computers when CRT monitors were popular. If a CRT screen was to sit too long, the pixels would get overused and could create ghost images on the screen. Screensavers were created to combat this problem.

Windows Screensavers

Windows screensavers are ".scr" files. There are screensavers that come pre-installed with the operating system. To locate the pre-installed screensaver files in Windows 7, open "C:\Windows." In the search bar in the upper right corner, type in "*.scr" and then press "Enter."

Windows Themes

Screensavers can be included in Windows themes. These themes also include color schemes, sounds and wallpapers. The Windows theme extension is ".theme."

Mac Screensavers

A file extension for Mac screensavers is ".saver." To locate the ".saver" files, open the "Library" folder and then locate the "Screen Savers" folder.

References

• Pareto Logic: File Extension SCR
• FILExt: File Extension Saver