What is a file?
File is a collective term for pictures, videos and other digital documents. In this practical tip, we explain where the term comes from and what a file can be.
File - word origin and meaning
The German Institute for Standardization (DIN) created the word "file" from the words "data" and "file".
- The origin of the word already suggests what it is: files are collections of data that are fixed in a specific order.
- A file stores all the information necessary to restore the data in a program identically.
- This means that you can call up this data even after an application has been closed.
File - data collection in specific format
A file summarizes a data collection and thus makes it accessible and readable for certain programs. Each file is in a specific format that you can only open and read with the programs designed for it:
- A Word file, for example, fixes all the entries that you create in a Microsoft Word document. In addition to the characters, the formatting and the link to other files are saved in the file. Only a few programs can open such a .doc or .docx file - the most common are Microsoft Office Word and the free alternatives OpenOffice and LibreOffice.
- Images and videos are also saved as files. Here the file contains information about the pixels and how a program should display them. Common file formats for images are .bmp, .webp, .webp and .gif.
Open packed files in ZIP or RAR format
Even more compressed files come in the RAR format. You need the right software to unzip these files. You can then call up the files it contains with the usual programs.