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Understanding File Formats
Ever wondered why some images look crisp while others are blurry? Or why your PDF won't open in Word? File formats aren't just random letters – they define how your data is stored, compressed, and shared.
We've put together this guide to help you understand what each format actually does, when to use it, and why it matters. No technical jargon, just the basics you need to know.
Images
Not all images are created equal. JPG is everywhere - your phone, the web, email attachments - because it's small and works on everything. But it sacrifices quality. PNG keeps every pixel perfect, which is why designers love it (and why the files are bigger). WebP is the new kid on the block, offering better compression than JPG without the quality loss. And if you're on an iPhone, you've probably seen HEIC - Apple's answer to storage problems.
JPG
Joint Photographic Experts Group
PNG
Portable Network Graphics
WebP
Web Picture Format
HEIC
High Efficiency Image Container
GIF
Graphics Interchange Format
BMP
Bitmap Image File
ICO
Icon File
SVG
Scalable Vector Graphics
JPEG
Joint Photographic Experts Group
TIFF
Tagged Image File Format
TIF
Tagged Image File Format
Documents
PDF is the go-to when you need something to look exactly the same on every device - think contracts, forms, resumes. DOCX is what you use when people actually need to edit your work. TXT is just pure text, no formatting, no fuss. Markdown has become the writer's favorite - simple syntax, easy to read, perfect for documentation and blogs.
Spreadsheets
Excel's XLSX dominates, but CSV is the universal export format - plain text, works everywhere. ODS is the open-source alternative. Numbers is Apple's take.
Presentations
PowerPoint's PPTX is the standard. ODP is the open format. PDF versions freeze your slides so they look identical everywhere.
Videos
MP4 is basically the universal language of video - if it plays somewhere, it's probably MP4. WebM was built for the web, and it's free to use (unlike some codecs that need licensing). AVI is old-school but still kicking around. MOV is Apple's format, common on iPhones and Macs. MKV can hold everything - multiple audio tracks, subtitles, chapters - which is why movie collectors love it.
Audios
MP3 ruled the world for 20 years because it made music files small enough to actually download. WAV is the uncompressed original - huge files, but perfect quality. FLAC gives you that perfect quality in half the space. AAC is what Apple uses, and it's actually better than MP3 at the same file size. Most people just can't hear the difference.
Datas
XML and JSON are how computers talk to each other. CSV is data in its simplest form - rows and columns, nothing fancy. YAML is human-friendly configuration.