File Format Abbreviations
125 abbreviations · part of Technology & Computer Abbreviations
File extensions and format names for images, audio, video, documents, spreadsheets, archives, e-books, installers, fonts, 3D models and data exchange. Entries give the developer, the year of introduction, typical uses and whether the format compresses data losslessly or lossily, so you can choose the right format and know which program opens a file. Extensions are usually lowercase in file names (.pdf, .jpg) but written in capitals in ordinary text.
| Abbreviation | Stands for | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 3GP | 3GPP file format | Multimedia container defined by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project for 3G mobile phones, used to record and send short videos via MMS on feature phones of the 2000s. |
| 3MF | 3D Manufacturing Format | Open 3D printing file format that stores geometry, colors, materials, units, print settings and multiple objects in one ZIP-based package, addressing the limits of STL. |
| 7z | 7-Zip archive | Open archive format created by Igor Pavlov for the free 7-Zip program in 1999, offering high compression ratios through the LZMA and LZMA2 algorithms and strong AES-256… |
| AAB | Android App Bundle | Publishing format introduced by Google in 2018 in which developers upload all their app's code and resources, and Google Play generates optimized APKs for each device's… |
| AAC | Advanced Audio Coding | Lossy audio compression format designed as the successor to MP3, giving better sound quality at the same bit rate. |
| AI | Adobe Illustrator Artwork | Native vector graphics file of Adobe Illustrator, widely used to deliver logos, icons and print artwork that must scale to any size. |
| AIFF | Audio Interchange File Format | Apple's uncompressed audio format, introduced in 1988 and long the standard for audio on Macs, music production and CD mastering. |
| ALAC | Apple Lossless Audio Codec | Apple's lossless audio compression format, which reduces file size by roughly 40 to 60 percent with no loss of quality, used for lossless streaming in Apple Music and… |
| AMR | Adaptive Multi-Rate | Speech audio codec standardized by 3GPP in 1999 for GSM and 3G mobile calls, also used for voice recordings and MMS voice notes saved as .amr files. |
| APK | Android Package Kit | File format used to distribute and install apps on Android; an APK is a signed ZIP archive containing compiled code, resources and a manifest. |
| APNG | Animated Portable Network Graphics | Extension of PNG that supports animation with full 24-bit color and alpha transparency, avoiding GIF's 256-color limit while still showing a static first frame in… |
| ARW | Sony Alpha Raw | Raw image format used by Sony's Alpha series cameras, including the A7 and A1 mirrorless lines, storing unprocessed sensor data for later editing. |
| ASF | Advanced Systems Format | Microsoft container format for Windows Media audio and video, holding WMA and WMV streams along with metadata and DRM. |
| AV1 | AOMedia Video 1 | Royalty-free video codec developed by the Alliance for Open Media, offering compression comparable to or better than HEVC. |
| AVC | Advanced Video Coding | MPEG name for the H.264 video compression standard (MPEG-4 Part 10), the dominant codec for HD video on the web, Blu-ray discs, broadcast and video calling. |
| AVI | Audio Video Interleave | Microsoft video container format introduced in November 1992 with Video for Windows, storing audio and video in an interleaved RIFF structure. |
| AVIF | AV1 Image File Format | Image format that stores pictures compressed with the royalty-free AV1 video codec, offering smaller files than JPEG and WebP at similar quality, plus HDR, wide color… |
| AZW3 | Kindle Format 8 | Amazon Kindle e-book format introduced in 2011 with the Kindle Fire, supporting HTML5 and CSS3 for richer layouts than the older MOBI-based AZW format. |
| BAK | Backup file | Extension for backup copies of files, created automatically by some programs before saving changes or manually by users. |
| BAT | Batch file | Plain-text script for Windows Command Prompt that runs a series of commands automatically, used for simple automation, startup tasks and installers. |
| BMP | Bitmap image file | Simple Windows image format that usually stores pixels uncompressed, making files large but easy to read and write. |
| CBR | Comic Book RAR | Comic book archive file that is a RAR archive of page images in reading order, opened by comic reader apps such as CDisplayEx, YACReader and Komga. |
| CBZ | Comic Book ZIP | Comic book archive file that is simply a ZIP archive of page images, such as JPEGs or PNGs, named in reading order. |
| CDA | CD Audio track file | Shortcut file, about 44 bytes, that Windows displays for each track when browsing an audio CD. |
| codec | Coder-decoder | Software or hardware that compresses (encodes) audio or video for storage or transmission and decompresses (decodes) it for playback. |
| CR2 | Canon Raw version 2 | Raw image format used by Canon digital cameras from the mid-2000s until 2018, storing unprocessed sensor data in a TIFF-based structure. |
| CR3 | Canon Raw version 3 | Current raw image format of Canon cameras, introduced in 2018, which uses a container structure similar to MP4 and offers an optional compressed "C-RAW" mode that saves… |
| CSV | Comma-separated values | Plain-text format for tables in which each line is a row and commas separate the columns. |
| DAT | Data file | Generic extension for data files whose format depends entirely on the program that created them, from game saves and configuration data to video on Video CDs. |
| DEB | Debian package | Software package format of Debian, Ubuntu, Linux Mint and related distributions, containing compiled files and installation metadata. |
| DMG | Apple Disk Image | Disk image format used on macOS to distribute software and store files, appearing as a virtual drive in Finder when opened. |
| DNG | Digital Negative | Open raw image format published by Adobe in 2004, based on TIFF, intended as a universal archival format for camera raw files. |
| DOC | Microsoft Word document (legacy binary format) | File format of Microsoft Word 97 to 2003 and earlier versions, storing documents in a proprietary binary structure. |
| DOCX | Office Open XML Word document | Default file format of Microsoft Word since Office 2007, storing text, formatting and images as XML files compressed inside a ZIP package. |
| DWG | Drawing | Native file format of Autodesk AutoCAD for 2D and 3D design data, the most widely used CAD drawing format in architecture, engineering and construction. |
| DXF | Drawing Exchange Format | Autodesk CAD format designed for exchanging drawings between AutoCAD and other programs, available in text (ASCII) and binary forms. |
| EML | Email message file | File containing a single email message saved in the standard Internet Message Format, including headers, body and attachments encoded with MIME. |
| EPS | Encapsulated PostScript | Vector graphics file format based on Adobe's PostScript language, designed to be placed inside other documents and long used for logos, illustrations and print… |
| EPUB | Electronic Publication | Open e-book standard whose text reflows to fit any screen size, supported by Apple Books, Kobo, Google Play Books and most e-readers except older Kindles. |
| EXE | Executable file | Windows program file that runs when opened, used for applications, games and installers. |
| EXIF | Exchangeable image file format | Metadata standard embedded in photos by cameras and phones, recording details such as camera model, lens, shutter speed, aperture, ISO, date, orientation and often GPS… |
| FBX | Filmbox | Proprietary 3D asset exchange format owned by Autodesk, storing models, materials, skeletons, animation and cameras. |
| FLAC | Free Lossless Audio Codec | Open, royalty-free audio format that compresses audio without any loss of quality, typically to 50 to 70 percent of the original size. |
| FLV | Flash Video | Video container format used by Adobe Flash Player, which powered most online video in the late 2000s, including YouTube at its 2005 launch. |
| GIF | Graphics Interchange Format | Image format limited to 256 colors per frame that supports simple animation and transparency, best known for short looping animated clips used as reactions in messaging… |
| glTF | GL Transmission Format | Royalty-free 3D format from the Khronos Group designed for efficient transmission and loading of 3D scenes and models in apps, games and web browsers, supporting… |
| GPX | GPS Exchange Format | XML-based format for GPS data, storing waypoints, routes and recorded tracks with coordinates, elevation and time. |
| GZ | gzip compressed file | File compressed with gzip, a free tool created in 1992 by Jean-loup Gailly and Mark Adler for the GNU Project using the DEFLATE algorithm. |
| H.264 | ITU-T H.264 video coding standard | Video compression standard, also called MPEG-4 AVC, that became the most widely used video codec in the world, used for Blu-ray discs, HD broadcasting, video calls… |
| H.265 | ITU-T H.265 video coding standard | Video compression standard, also called HEVC, that delivers similar quality to H.264 at roughly half the bit rate. |
| HEIC | High Efficiency Image Container | Image file format used by iPhones and iPads since iOS 11 (2017) for photos, storing HEVC-compressed images at about half the size of equivalent JPEGs. |
| HEIF | High Efficiency Image File Format | Container format standardized by the Moving Picture Experts Group in 2015 (ISO/IEC 23008-12) for storing images and image sequences, usually compressed with HEVC. |
| HEVC | High Efficiency Video Coding | MPEG name for the H.265 video compression standard, offering about twice the efficiency of H.264. |
| ICO | Icon file | Windows icon format that can store several images of different sizes and color depths, from 16 by 16 up to 256 by 256 pixels, in one file so the system picks the best… |
| ICS | iCalendar file | Standard calendar data file used to share events, meeting invitations and calendar subscriptions between Google Calendar, Outlook, Apple Calendar and other apps. |
| IMG | Disk image file | Raw, sector-by-sector image of a disk, memory card or floppy, used to distribute operating systems for single-board computers and to back up or clone entire drives. |
| INI | Initialization file | Plain-text configuration file divided into sections in square brackets, each holding key=value settings. |
| IPA | iOS App Store Package | File format for iPhone and iPad apps, a ZIP archive containing the signed app bundle and its resources. |
| ISO | ISO disc image | File containing an exact copy of an optical disc's file system, used to distribute operating systems, Linux distributions and software, or to archive CDs and DVDs. |
| JPEG | Joint Photographic Experts Group | Lossy image compression standard and file format used for most digital photographs, on cameras, phones and websites. |
| JPG | JPEG image file | Three-letter file extension for JPEG images, the most common photo format on the web and in cameras and phones. |
| JXL | JPEG XL | Royalty-free image format standardized as ISO/IEC 18181 in 2022, designed as a long-term successor to JPEG with better compression, HDR, animation, progressive decoding… |
| KML | Keyhole Markup Language | XML-based format for geographic data such as placemarks, paths, polygons and overlays, used by Google Earth, Google Maps and GIS software. |
| LNK | Windows shortcut (Shell Link) file | Small file that points to another file, folder or program, shown on Windows desktops and Start menus as an icon with a small arrow. |
| M3U | MP3 URL playlist | Plain-text playlist file listing the paths or web addresses of audio and video files to play in order. |
| M4A | MPEG-4 Audio file | Audio-only MPEG-4 file, usually containing AAC or Apple Lossless audio, popularized by iTunes for music downloads and CD rips. |
| M4V | MPEG-4 Video file (Apple) | Apple's variant of the MP4 video format, used for movies and TV episodes from the iTunes Store and for exports from Apple apps. |
| MD | Markdown | Lightweight markup language and file type (.md) that formats plain text with simple symbols, such as # for headings, asterisks for emphasis and dashes for lists, which… |
| MIDI | Musical Instrument Digital Interface | Technical standard and file format that transmits musical performance data, such as which notes are played, how hard and for how long, between instruments, computers… |
| MKV | Matroska Video | Open, royalty-free multimedia container that can hold an unlimited number of video, audio and subtitle tracks, chapters and attachments in one file. |
| MOBI | Mobipocket e-book | E-book format from the French company Mobipocket, used by early Amazon Kindle devices after Amazon bought Mobipocket in 2005. |
| MOV | QuickTime Movie | Apple's QuickTime video container format, used by iPhones, Macs and professional cameras and editing software, often holding H.264, HEVC or Apple ProRes video. |
| MP3 | MPEG-1 Audio Layer III | Lossy audio compression format that shrinks music to about a tenth of CD size by discarding sounds the human ear is unlikely to perceive. |
| MP4 | MPEG-4 Part 14 | Multimedia container file format, typically holding H.264 or H.265 video with AAC audio, used for streaming, phone videos, downloads and social media. |
| MPEG | Moving Picture Experts Group | Working group of ISO and IEC that develops standards for compressing audio and video, and the name of its standards families: MPEG-1 (Video CD and MP3), MPEG-2 (DVD and… |
| MSI | Microsoft Installer package | Windows Installer package file, a database of files, registry settings and installation instructions that Windows uses to install, repair and uninstall software in a… |
| MSIX | MSIX app package | Microsoft packaging format introduced in 2018 that installs Windows apps in a lightweight container, allowing clean uninstallation without leftover files or registry… |
| NEF | Nikon Electronic Format | Raw image format of Nikon digital cameras, used since the professional D1 of 1999 and still used by Nikon's Z-series mirrorless cameras. |
| OBJ | Wavefront object file | Simple, text-based 3D model format storing vertices, texture coordinates, normals and faces, widely supported by 3D modeling, game and printing software. |
| ODF | OpenDocument Format | Open, XML-based standard for office documents, covering word processing, spreadsheets, presentations and drawings. |
| ODP | OpenDocument Presentation | Slide-presentation file in the OpenDocument Format, the default for LibreOffice Impress and also supported by PowerPoint and Google Slides. |
| ODS | OpenDocument Spreadsheet | Spreadsheet file in the OpenDocument Format, used by LibreOffice Calc and supported by Excel and Google Sheets. |
| ODT | OpenDocument Text | Word-processing file in the OpenDocument Format, the default for LibreOffice Writer and Apache OpenOffice Writer. |
| OGG | Ogg (container format) | Open, patent-free container format from the Xiph.Org Foundation, most often holding Vorbis or Opus audio; files usually end in .ogg or .opus. |
| OTF | OpenType Font | Font format developed jointly by Microsoft and Adobe that holds TrueType or PostScript-style outlines along with advanced typographic features such as ligatures, small… |
| Portable Document Format | Document format that preserves text, fonts, images, layout and vector graphics exactly, so a file looks the same on any device, operating system or printer. | |
| PDF/A | Portable Document Format for Archiving | ISO-standardized version of PDF designed for long-term preservation, requiring embedded fonts and self-contained content while forbidding encryption, JavaScript, audio… |
| PKG | Package installer file | Installer package format used on macOS to install software that needs system components or administrator privileges, opened by Apple's Installer app. |
| PNG | Portable Network Graphics | Lossless image format that supports full transparency (an alpha channel), making it the standard for screenshots, logos, icons, diagrams and web graphics with sharp… |
| PPT | Microsoft PowerPoint presentation (legacy binary format) | File format of PowerPoint 97 to 2003 and earlier, storing slides, notes, images and animations in a binary structure. |
| PPTX | Office Open XML presentation | Default PowerPoint format since Office 2007, storing slides, layouts, media and notes as XML in a ZIP package. |
| PS | PostScript | Page description language and file format from Adobe that describes text, vector graphics and images for printing; it is also a full programming language. |
| PSD | Photoshop Document | Native file format of Adobe Photoshop, preserving layers, masks, adjustment layers, text, effects and other editing data so a project can be reopened and changed. |
| PST | Personal Storage Table | Microsoft Outlook data file that stores email, calendar items, contacts and tasks on a local computer, used for archives and for accounts that keep mail offline. |
| RAR | Roshal Archive | Proprietary compressed archive format created by Russian engineer Eugene Roshal in 1993, known for good compression, splitting into multi-part volumes and recovery… |
| RAW | Camera raw image | Generic name for unprocessed image files from digital cameras and some phones, containing the sensor data before white balance, sharpening and compression are applied. |
| RTF | Rich Text Format | Microsoft document format that stores text with basic formatting, such as fonts, bold, colors and tables, in a readable markup of control words, for exchanging… |
| SRT | SubRip Text | Simple plain-text subtitle format listing numbered captions, each with a start and end time and the text to display. |
| STEP | Standard for the Exchange of Product model data | ISO 10303 family of standards and the file format (.step or .stp) used to exchange precise 3D solid models between CAD systems such as SolidWorks, CATIA, Creo and Fusion. |
| STL | Stereolithography | 3D model format that describes a surface as a mesh of triangles, the standard file for 3D printing. |
| SVG | Scalable Vector Graphics | XML-based vector image format that describes shapes, paths and text mathematically, so images stay perfectly sharp at any size. |
| SWF | Small Web Format | File format for Adobe Flash animations, games and interactive applications, originally named Shockwave Flash. |
| TAR | Tape archive | Unix archiving format that bundles many files and folders into one file while preserving permissions and directory structure, without compressing them. |
| TIFF | Tagged Image File Format | Flexible, high-quality image format used in printing, publishing, scanning, archiving, medical imaging and geographic data, supporting uncompressed or losslessly… |
| TMP | Temporary file | File created by programs to hold data temporarily, such as unsaved work, download fragments or installer contents, normally deleted automatically when the program closes. |
| TS | MPEG transport stream | Container format for audio, video and data designed for broadcasting over unreliable channels, used by digital TV standards such as DVB and ATSC and for recordings from… |
| TSV | Tab-separated values | Plain-text table format that separates columns with tab characters instead of commas, avoiding problems with commas inside data. |
| TTF | TrueType Font | Outline font format developed by Apple in the late 1980s and licensed to Microsoft, describing letter shapes with quadratic curves and detailed "hinting" for sharp… |
| TXT | Plain text file | File containing only unformatted characters, with no fonts, images or styling, readable by virtually every program and device. |
| VCF | Virtual Contact File (vCard) | Standard file format for electronic business cards, storing names, phone numbers, email addresses, postal addresses and photos, used to share and import contacts… |
| VOB | Video Object | File format of DVD-Video discs, found in the VIDEO_TS folder, containing MPEG-2 video, audio tracks, subtitles and menus. |
| VP9 | Video Processor 9 | Royalty-free video codec released by Google in 2013, used by YouTube for much of its HD and 4K video and by WebRTC video calls. |
| VTT | Web Video Text Tracks | W3C subtitle and caption format, also called WebVTT, used with HTML5 video in web browsers. |
| VVC | Versatile Video Coding | Video compression standard finalized in 2020, also called H.266, designed to cut bit rates by about half compared with HEVC, with features for 8K, HDR and 360-degree… |
| WAV | Waveform Audio File Format | Microsoft and IBM audio format that usually stores uncompressed PCM audio, preserving full quality at the cost of large files: CD-quality stereo uses about 10 MB per… |
| WebM | WebM video format | Open, royalty-free media format developed by Google for web video, using VP8, VP9 or AV1 video with Vorbis or Opus audio in a container based on Matroska. |
| WebP | WebP image format | Image format developed by Google that supports both lossy and lossless compression, transparency and animation, producing files typically 25 to 35 percent smaller than… |
| WMA | Windows Media Audio | Microsoft's audio compression format, introduced in 1999 as a competitor to MP3 and supported by Windows Media Player and many portable players of the 2000s. |
| WMV | Windows Media Video | Microsoft's video compression format and file type, introduced in 1999 for Windows Media Player and widely used for downloads and corporate video in the 2000s. |
| XLS | Microsoft Excel spreadsheet (legacy binary format) | File format of Microsoft Excel 97 to 2003 and earlier, holding worksheets, formulas, charts and macros in a binary structure. |
| XLSM | Excel Macro-Enabled Workbook | Excel workbook format that can contain VBA macros, small programs that automate tasks. |
| XLSX | Office Open XML spreadsheet | Default Excel workbook format since Office 2007, storing data, formulas, formatting and charts as compressed XML. |
| XPS | XML Paper Specification | Microsoft's fixed-layout document format, introduced with Windows Vista in 2006 as an alternative to PDF. |
| XZ | XZ compressed file | File compressed with XZ Utils, which uses the LZMA2 algorithm to achieve higher compression than gzip at the cost of speed. |
| ZIP | ZIP archive | Archive format that compresses one or more files and folders into a single file, supported natively by Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iOS. |
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