How to display the xp file extension. How to enable display of file extensions

These instructions show the steps by which you can enable the display of file name extensions in the Windows 10 operating system

File extension is a set of characters added to the end of a file name that helps the Windows operating system determine the type of information stored in the file and the program with which to open it. It is called an extension because it is located at the end of the file name after the period. In the file name file.txt extension is TXT. It tells Windows that this is a text file that can be opened using programs associated with the specified extension, such as WordPad or Notepad.

By default, the Windows operating system hides extensions to make file names easier to read, but extensions can be displayed.

How to enable display of file extensions in Windows Explorer

To enable display of file extensions in , run Windows Explorer by pressing the key combination + E. In the main menu of Explorer, go to the tab "View" and check the box next to Filename extensions

To hide the display of file name extensions, uncheck the box next to Filename extensions

How to enable display of file extensions using Control Panel

In the window that opens Explorer Options go to the tab View, scroll the list Extra options: to the very bottom.

To display file name extensions, uncheck the box and click OK

To hide file name extensions, select the checkbox Hide extensions for registered file types and press the button OK

To quickly open a window Explorer Options on the tab View, copy and paste into the window Execute the following command and press the key Enter↵

RunDll32.exe shell32.dll,Options_RunDLL 7

What file name length is acceptable?

This depends on the length of the full path to the file (for example, C:\Program Files\filename.txt). In the Windows operating system, the length of one path cannot exceed 260 characters. Therefore, if you copy a file with a very long name to a directory whose path is longer than the path to the file's original location, you may receive an error message.

What characters cannot be used in a file name?

You cannot use any of the following characters in the file name: \ / ? : * " > < |

What is a file extension? The file name extension is the sequence of characters in the file name after the period (for example, “New Text Document.txt”), which is intended to identify the file format.

Why do you need to see it in Explorer? For example, in my situation, to create empty sitemap files for a blog from files in .txt format into .xml and .xml.gz formats for their subsequent upload to hosting.

By default, the Windows operating system does not display file extensions. And having created a simple text file (or a file of another format), we do not see its extension.

That is, by renaming “New text document” to “sitemap.xml”, we will see on the screen a file called “sitemap.xml”.

But in reality, when displaying the extension, it will be “sitemap.xml.txt”, which does not suit us at all, because we need exactly “sitemap.xml”.

In order to correctly rename the file and give it the extension we need, we need to make some settings in the Windows Control Panel.

FILE EXTENSION

Click “Start” - “Control Panel”.

In the Control Panel, click on “Appearance and Personalization”.

Click on “Folder Options”

In the window that opens, go to the “View” tab.

We look for the item “Hide extensions for registered file types”, uncheck it and click on the “Apply” and “OK” buttons.

After all the manipulations we have done, we see files with their extensions displayed (in our case, “New text document.txt” and “New bitmap.bmp”).

Many users have already learned that they should be careful when running executable files downloaded from the Internet, as they may contain malware - viruses and spyware. Also, many users know what files are safe to download and run on their local computer, such as music files (.mp3, .flac, etc.), video files (.avi, .mov), and many other file types. If you double-click this type of file, it will be opened by the appropriate program without the risk of infecting your computer.

On Windows, extensions are not displayed for file types registered in the system. On the one hand, this is convenient - the file becomes four characters shorter (usually the extension consists of three characters separated from the file name by a dot). But on the other hand, if the display of file extensions is disabled, there are a number of inconveniences.

Why you might want to display the file extension

For security reasons. It is not always safe to open a file without knowing its real extension. Virus creators use a trick when a virus is sent, for example like crimea.jpg.exe, displayed as Crimea.jpg and an unsuspecting user double-clicks the mouse trying to open the picture, but in fact launches an executable file. In this case, it can come to the rescue and block the execution of the program if it tries to change system files or system settings. But what's even worse is that virus writers can specify any icon they want for an executable file. This can further confuse the user. This information is discussed in more detail in the article.
Often one program has several file extensions associated with it, and it is not always clear what extension the file of interest has. You can, of course, look at the document’s full name, including its extension, in the properties, but looking at the properties in order to check the extension of each file takes a lot of time.

In order to Windows 7 show file extensions, you need to display the window Folders settings.

In order to get to this window, there are two ways, namely:

First way:

Launch Windows Explorer

In Explorer, press the key on the keyboard Alto, in the menu that appears at the top of the window, click Service - Folder Options...

Second way:

Opening Control Panel, in the control panel click Design and personalization

In chapter Design and personalization choose Folders settings

In the window that opens Folders settings go to the tab View, In chapter Extra options find the checkbox Hide extensions for registered file types, uncheck it. Save the changes by clicking the button OK.

Greetings!

Files come in a variety of types - audio, video, photo, etc. And the system determines the ownership of a particular file by its extension. But by default, the extension of most file types is hidden in the operating system. This is done for the convenience of users, so that when renaming there is no situation that when renaming, its extension is not accidentally changed.

However, experienced Windows users know that this feature of the system (hiding file extensions) carries both inconvenience and a direct security threat.

If we talk about inconveniences, we can give an example of a typical situation: when the task of changing the extension of a file arises, you cannot do without enabling the display of file extensions.

As for the dangers that file extensions are hidden by default, these are situations when one type of file impersonates another. For example, you downloaded a file from the Internet, which is displayed in the system with an archive icon, but in fact it may turn out to be an executable file with the extension exe, which simply has an archive icon built into it. Launching such a decoy file can lead to the most dire consequences.

That’s why it’s worth turning on the display of file extensions in Windows so as not to encounter such difficulties and dangers.

How to enable display of file extensions in Windows 7, 8, 8.1, 10

Done, extensions are now displayed for absolutely all file types.

Note: if you come across a file whose extension is not displayed even after turning on the extension, then it is quite obvious that it is simply missing. Such files come across with enviable regularity; they can be system files, temporary ones, etc.

Now you know how to easily display file extensions in the Windows operating system.

Instructions

Open any folder. For example, "My Computer".

In the upper right corner, select the “Organize” menu and click on “Folder and Search Options.”

In the menu that opens, go to the “View” tab, scroll the menu to the end and uncheck the bottom-most checkbox called “Hide extensions for registered file types.”

Done, your Windows 7 computer is now enabled to show file extensions.

Helpful advice

1. If, while renaming a file, you accidentally deleted its extension, after which it stopped opening, it’s okay, just rename the file back, returning the old extension.

2. Showing file extensions can help you protect your computer from viruses. If you want to download an archive or text document from the Internet, and a file with the .exe extension, which denotes a program, has been downloaded to your computer, it is better to refuse to run this file; usually in this way, attackers force gullible users to install unnecessary programs and infect the computer with viruses.

Each file has its own extension. It is thanks to him that the operating system knows which program to use to open this file. In operating systems, some file names have their extension written at the end. For example, in a Microsoft Office text document, DOC is written at the end of the file name - this is the file extension. There may be a need to hide the file extension. Perhaps someone does not want its extension to be displayed at the end of the file name, or they need to hide the file type.

You will need

Computer running Windows operating system

Instructions

You need to hide the file extension depending on the situation. If you need to make sure no one knows what type of file it is, you can simply rename its extension. This can be done without problems if you are using Windows XP or higher operating system.

Right-click on the file whose extension you want to hide and select “Rename” from the context menu. Rename the extension. It is immediately after the name of the file itself and only in Latin. You can specify any symbols as an extension. Then the system will recognize this file as unknown.

This file can no longer be opened in the usual way. To open it, right-click on the file and select “Open with” in the context menu and select the program to open. If the extension was on a text file, then, naturally, you can open the file using Microsoft Office.

You can return the correct file extension at any time. After you rename the file extension back, you will not need to select a program to open it; the file will again be opened by the operating system automatically.

If you just need to hide the file extension so it doesn't show up, this method will work for you. Click "Start" - "All Programs" - "Accessories". Among the standard programs, select “Command Prompt”. At the command prompt, enter "rundll32.exe shell32.dll,Options_RunDLL 0".

The Folder Options window appears. Select the View tab. In the "Advanced Options" window, find the "Hide protected system files" option. Check this box. Next to it is the item “Hide extensions for registered file types.” Please also check this box. After that, click OK. Now the operating system will not display file extensions.

Typically, an edit to a file extension should reflect a change in the recording format of the information it contains. And such interference in the file structure is most often carried out using specialized applications that change the extension. But cases when the user has to fix the extension himself are not so rare.

Instructions

The easiest way to change the file extension is to use a program specifically designed for working with files. You can open it in Windows in many ways - for example, right-click the “Start” button and select “open explorer” from the pop-up list of commands.

In the left column of the file manager interface, select the drive on which the renaming object is located, and then, sequentially opening the folders in the same left column, go to the directory containing the file.

If the extension of the desired object is not displayed in the file manager, then expand the “Organize” drop-down list above the left column of Explorer and select the “Folder and Search Options” line. If your OS version does not have this list, then expand the “Tools” section in the menu and select “Folder Options”. In both cases, the same window will open, in which you need a list of options on the “View” tab - find the line “Hide extensions for known file types” in it. Uncheck the checkbox for this line and click OK.

By right-clicking the desired file, select the “rename” command, go to the end of the name (click the End button) and correct the extension. By pressing the Enter key you will commit the changed file name.

The same operation can be done in the command line, even if displaying the file extension is disabled in Windows settings. The command line simulator window is called through the program launch dialog - press the Win and R keys simultaneously to open this dialog. Then type cmd, press Enter and the command line terminal will open.

To rename, use the rename command or its shortened version ren. This command requires specifying the full path and name of the object being edited, as well as the name of the file with the new extension (for the second parameter, specifying the full path is not required). For example, if a file called someFile.doc is placed in the text folder of the root directory of drive F, then to change its extension from doc to txt, enter the following command: ren F: extsomeFile.doc someFile.txt and press Enter.

Video on the topic

The need to display a file extension can be caused either by security reasons or by the need to change this very extension. This function does not require the use of additional programs or learning programming languages.

Instructions

The full name of the extension is “filename extension”. The extension's task is to determine the format of the selected file and select a program to open it. Visually, the extension is defined as the last characters after the period following the file name. So, picture.ipg means a graphic file with the name “picture”, saved in JPG format.

When you first install an operating system, file extensions may be hidden for security reasons. Accidentally or intentionally removing a file extension renders it completely useless, since the OS cannot choose a program that can open this file. However, the extension display feature is built-in and can be easily activated by the user. To do this, expand any folder and expand the “Tools” menu in the top toolbar of the application window you are using.

Select "Folder Options" and go to the "View" tab in the dialog box that opens. Uncheck the box next to “Hide extensions for known file types” in the “Advanced Options” section and confirm saving your changes by clicking OK.

In Windows 7 or Vista operating systems, you can enable the display of file extensions using a slightly different method. Launch the Windows Explorer application and expand the Arrange menu in the program window that opens. Select the Folder and Search Options command and go to the View tab in the new dialog box. Uncheck the box next to “Hide extensions for known file types” in the “Advanced Settings” group directory and confirm the changes made by clicking OK. This action will cause extensions to be displayed when viewing selected files.

Sources:

What is a "file extension"

When the file format is known, it is easier for the user to determine which application can be used to view or edit it. The Windows operating system has several modes: one allows displaying file extensions, the other does not.

Instructions

Extension – several characters that are written in the file name and indicate the type of data contained in it. The file format is separated from its name by a dot (text.doc, image.bmp). With default settings on Windows, the extension is always .

To select how file extensions are displayed, see Folder Options. You can call it in several ways. Click the Start button or the Windows key on your keyboard and open Control Panel. Left-click on the Folder Options icon in the Appearance and Themes category. Alternative method: Open any folder saved on your computer. From the Tools menu, select Folder Options.

In the dialog box that opens, go to the “View” tab. In the Advanced Options group, use your mouse wheel or scroll bar to scroll down until you find Hide extensions for known file types. Remove the marker from the found item and save the new settings with the “Apply” button.

You can view the list of all currently registered extensions on the “File Types” tab. The dialog box shows extensions on the left side and file types on the right side. In some cases, it is not necessary to display file extensions; simply finding out their type is enough.

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