Windows 10’s default behavior is to not display the file extensions for most file types in Explorer. Nevertheless, you have the option to show or hide file extensions in Windows 10 as needed.
Being able to view the extensions of your files in Explorer can be useful for a number of reasons. It can help you quickly identify the files you’re interested in, as well as spot potentially malicious files that have a .EXE extension but are named “Program.txt” for example, to trick you into thinking they are harmless files.
How to show or hide file extensions in Windows 10
In the image above you can see how the files are shown in Windows 10’s Explorer by default. To make Explorer display file extensions we will use the Ribbon interface.
In the Ribbon, click on the View tab and you will find an option called “File name extensions”. Check the box next to it and from then on, you will see the extension at the end of the files’ names.
There’s also another method to show or hide file extensions in Windows 10 via Folder Options.
You can access Folder Options from the same View tab in File Explorer. Click on the Options icon and select ‘Change folder and search options’.
The Folder Options dialog window will be displayed. Click on the View tab.
In the View tab scroll down a bit and uncheck the box next to the option called “Hide extensions for known file types”. From then on, file extensions will be displayed in Explorer, just like when using the first method.
Needless to say, if at some point you decide you no longer want to see file extensions in Explorer, you can use one of the above methods to navigate to the related options and disable them.
