4 Ways to Change File Extensions in Windows 11

This article explains how to change file extensions in Windows 11 , as well as discusses the difference between file extensions and file types.

Table of Contents

• Change file extensions the easy way
• Change file extension from Command Prompt
• How to change file extensions in bulk
• Convert files to change file type
• What does changing the file extension do?
• Reasons for changing file extensions
• Different "types" of files

Change file extensions the easy way

For most people, the easiest way to change a file extension in Windows 11 is to do it from the same place you change the file name. However, Windows doesn’t show file extensions by default, so we’ll have to make a small change to that extension first before we’re given the option to edit the file extension.

1. Open File Explorer . A quick method is to use the shortcut WIN + E .

2. Select View at the top of the window, then select Show > File name extensions .

3. Now Windows 11 shows the file extension, right click on the file you want to edit the extension and select Properties .

Tip : If you're in a hurry, left-click the file once (without opening it), press F2 , edit the file extension, press Enter , then select Save .

4. In the General tab , rename the characters after the period to change the file extension.

5. Click OK , then select Yes to save.

Note : Changing the file extension does not change the file type. See the bottom of this page for more information about that.

Change file extension from Command Prompt

If you're familiar with the Command Prompt , you may prefer to use the rename/ren command to change file extensions. This method allows you to skip having to edit File Explorer options (i.e. you can hide file extensions and it will still work).

1. Open Command Prompt .

2. Change to the directory containing your file.

For example, if Command Prompt opens to C:\Users\jonfi , but the file is on the desktop, enter this command into Command Prompt:

cd C:\Users\jonfi\Desktop

3. Type ren followed by the original file and then the new name for the file.

Here is an example of changing the file extension from DOCX to TXT:

ren file.docx file.txt

4. Press Enter to change the file extension immediately.

How to change file extensions in bulk

Command Prompt also makes it easy to edit the file extension for multiple files at once, assuming they're in the same folder. The trick is to use asterisks so you don't have to call out any specific file names.

1. Put all the files you want to edit in their own folder.

2. Right-click on the empty area next to the files and select Open in Terminal .

3. Confirm that Command Prompt displays the correct folder. In the example, it is C:\files>.

If PowerShell opens instead, press Ctrl + Shift + 2 to get to Command Prompt. Learn more about Terminal if you need help.

Important Note : Don't skip this step. If you're in the wrong directory, there's no easy way to undo the command you're about to execute.

4. Enter the following command, but change *.jpg to whatever file you want:

ren *.* *.jpg

Warning : This command will rename everything in this directory. Make sure you are in the correct directory and want to change the file extension for every file in it.

If you just need to rename a group of similar file extensions, you can modify the command a bit. Here's what you'd enter if you wanted all GIF files to have the JPG file extension (everything else would remain the same):

ren *.gif *.jpg

5. Press Enter . All file extensions will change automatically.

Convert files to change file type

File converters can also change file extensions. The main reason you would do this is if you want to change the actual file format (i.e. file type), such as if you need the file to be compatible with a specific device or software program.

Here is an example of using Zamzar file converter to change the file extension of an audio file from MP3 to WAV.

1. Go to Zamzar and select Choose Files .

2. Select the MP3 file you want to convert to WAV, then click Open .

3. Select Convert To , then select WAV from the list.

4. Select Convert Now to start converting the file.

5. Select Download to save the file to your device.

Some software programs have built-in file conversion tools. This is common for programs that can open multiple file types. For example, Adobe Photoshop can open a PNG file and convert it to over a dozen other image formats, then change the file extension (to JPG, GIF, TIFF, etc.).

What does changing the file extension do?

The Windows operating system uses file extensions to understand how to open a file. For example, when you double-click to open a TXT file, Notepad may open that file. This happens because Notepad is configured to open TXT files.

If you change a TXT file to the DOCX file extension, Microsoft Word will open that file instead of a PC configured to use Word for that file type.

See how to change file associations in Windows  if you want a different program to open a particular file type. This allows you to change the MP3 player application or choose a different image viewer for your GIF file.

Reasons for changing file extensions

One reason to change the file extension is if the original extension was added to the file by mistake. This sometimes happens when a file is downloaded from a website. For example, if you were supposed to receive a PDF file, but the web service exported your file to something else, you can change the file extension to PDF to make it work properly with your PDF reader.

Another example is if you’re working with a BAT file. It makes more sense to build the file as a TXT document, so you can quickly double-click to open it in a text editor when you need to make changes. But when you’re done, you’ll need to change the file extension to BAT to get it to work as intended.

You might consider changing the file extension to make it work with a different program or device. For example, changing the file extension might seem helpful if your eReader supports PDF files, but your book is an FB2 file. In reality, you need to change the file type.

Different "types" of files

Changing the file extension does not change the file type. It may seem that way if the icon changes and a different program opens the file when you double-click it. However, the file extension only tells Windows which program to use when opening the file.

The file type refers to the format in which the file is stored. For example, an SVG file is an image format, which is quite different from a JPG. Both are significantly different from an ISO file. They represent three separate file types.

The DAT extension is another example. Following the link, you will see that one type of DAT file can be a video, another is a text file, and another is for storing backup data. That’s three different types of files using the same extension.

To understand these differences, consider changing the MP3 file extension to DOCX. MP3 is for audio, while DOCX is for documents. Simply changing the file extension will not convert MP3 lyrics into a readable document in Microsoft Word.

Instead, use a file converter to change the file type. If you need your MKV video to be an MP4, perhaps so it works with your favorite video player that only accepts MP4s, then a file converter is ideal. This goes for other file types as well.