Show file extensions in File Explorer
How do I get file extensions to show in File Explorer?
Written by The CommonFixes team · fact checked by CommonFixes review desk
Last updated
Short answer
Windows hides the last part of a file name for known file types, and it has done so since the nineties to keep things tidy. It also makes life easy for the people who send harmful attachments, because a file called Invoice.pdf.exe simply reads as Invoice.pdf while extensions are hidden. Turning them on takes seconds and is one of the best small safety habits you can pick up. The quickest thing to try first: windows 11: use the view menu — Open File Explorer, click View on the toolbar, hover Show, and click File name extensions so it gets a tick. Every file in every folder immediately shows its full name. Most people are done in about 3 minutes.
Full walkthrough below: 6 steps for Windows and Mac, rated easy.
Sounds like this
- •Files show as Invoice rather than Invoice.pdf
- •You cannot tell a photo from a document without opening it
- •Something you downloaded will not open and you cannot see what type it is
Why it happens
Windows hides the last part of a file name for known file types, and it has done so since the nineties to keep things tidy. It also makes life easy for the people who send harmful attachments, because a file called Invoice.pdf.exe simply reads as Invoice.pdf while extensions are hidden. Turning them on takes seconds and is one of the best small safety habits you can pick up.
Work through these in order
0% done- 1
Windows 11: use the View menu
Open File Explorer, click View on the toolbar, hover Show, and click File name extensions so it gets a tick. Every file in every folder immediately shows its full name.
- 2
Windows 10: tick the box on the View tab
Open File Explorer, click the View tab at the top, and tick File name extensions in the Show or hide group. There is nothing to save; it applies straight away.
- 3
Any Windows version: use Folder Options
Press the Windows key, type folder options, and open File Explorer Options. On the View tab, untick Hide extensions for known file types and click Apply, then OK. This is the same setting and it is the one to use if the toolbar looks different from the descriptions above.
- 4
Show hidden files while you are there
In the same View menu tick Hidden items. It is useful when you are chasing a settings file or an installer that a program left behind. Leave the box for protected operating system files alone, because those are hidden for a good reason.
- 5
Mac: turn extensions on in Finder
Open Finder, click Finder in the menu bar, choose Settings (called Preferences on older versions), open the Advanced tab, and tick Show all filename extensions.
- 6
Use it to spot a dangerous download
With extensions showing, be wary of anything ending in .exe, .scr, .js, .bat, .cmd or .msi that arrived by email or from a link you did not expect. A genuine invoice ends in .pdf. If you rename a file, keep the extension exactly as it was, otherwise the file will not open.
If none of that worked
If the tick will not stay after a restart, a clean up tool or a workplace policy may be resetting it. Try the Folder Options route, click Apply to Folders on the View tab, and then restart. On a managed work laptop this setting can be locked by your workplace and only they can release it.
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Who wrote this and how we checked it
The CommonFixes team
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We are a small group of people who spend our days repairing laptops and desktops for family, friends and small offices. Every guide here starts with a problem someone actually brought to us, and we only write down the steps that put the machine right.
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This guide was last updated on 11 August 2026. If a step no longer matches what you see on screen, tell us on the contact page and we will test it again.
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