Show Hidden File Extensions in Windows

In older operating systems, the type of file was displayed at the end of the file name. Microsoft has decided that users of Windows - be it Windows XP, WIndows Vista, Windows 7, etc - don't need to see file extensions.  Sometimes it's important to know what the extension of your file is though, so if you decide you want them back in the file name you can tell Windows to turn them back on.

Step 1. We need to get into the Control Panel. There are a couple ways to do this, but the easiest is to go to the start menu and click on "Control Panel".

Step 2. The Windows control panel will show you several options for altering system settings.  Click "Appearance and Personalization."

Step 3. From the list that appear, select "Folder Options." This will bring up the controls for all sorts of folder tweaks.

Step 4. At the top there are tabs for "General", "View", and "Search".  Click on the "View" tab.

Step 5. Under the advanced settings pane, there is an option for "Hide extensions for known file types." Click it to remove the check mark in the box, and "OK" button at the bottom to apply the settings.  Windows will now show the file types at the end of your file names.

Additional Tips

If you're on a Mac this is a bit easier; go into the advanced tab of the finder preferences and click "Show all file extensions."