How To Change File Type in Windows 11

Windows operating system supports a wide range of file formats, and each format shows the type of data. It can be an image, videos, music files, archived files or a document. It is very important to give a file type to open a specific app to access that file. The file extension allows the operating system to identify the file type. Some popular file extensions are .docx, .png, .mp4, and .exe. If you want to change the file types in your Windows 11, then read this detailed guide.

Can You Change File Type in Windows 11?

Yes, you can easily change file formats on Windows 11. But you have to make sure that you change it according to the data saved in that file. For example, if you are saving an HTML file that has html code, you can use a .html file extension. For CSS, you can use .css. For images, you can use different file formats. JPG, .PNG, etc. It is very important to choose the right file format.

5 Methods to Change File Type in Windows 11

Here are the 5 easiest methods to change the file type in Windows 11.

Method 1: Show File Extensions

In Windows 11, file extensions are hidden by default. So you have to enable it. You can only check the file name, not the type. For example, if you have a doc file named “abc” then it will only show “abc” not “abc.docs”.

If you want to check the file type, then you have to go to the property. But this is frustrating. You can enable file type for all files using these steps:

Step 1: Open file explorer using Windows + E button on the keyboard.

Step 2: Click on the View button from the top tab and then expand the Show option.

Step 3: Click on the File name extensions option from the list.

That’s it. Now you can see the file name with its type in your file explorer window.

Method 2: View File Extensions from Folder Options

There is another option called the folder option that allows you to change file explore settings. You can view the hidden file extensions with these folder settings.

Step 1: Open file explorer with the Windows + E button on your keyboard.

Step 2: Find the three-dot icon on the top of the file explorer and click on it.

Step 3: Click on the options button to open folder options.

Then click on the Change folder and search option.

Step 4: Click on the View tab.

Step 5: Find and uncheck the “Hide extensions for known file types” in the advanced setting.

Step 6: Click on ‘Apply’ and click ‘OK’ to save the settings.

You can see file extensions now in the File Explorer.

Method 3: Change File Type with file Rename

If you want to change the file extension for any file, you can rename it with the file extension.

For example:

Step 1: If you want to change the JPG file to PNG, rename the JPG file with newname.png and press enter.

Step 2: Confirm your decision and click on Yes.

Step 3: But make sure the new extension is related to the older one. You can’t just rename the PNG file to newnamre. PDF. You can use some 3rd party tools to do that.

The same goes for media files. You can easily change the MP4 file to MKV with file explorer rename and access it with the default video player, but you can’t change the MP4 file to JPG.

Method 4: Save the file in Another File Format

You can’t directly change file type with rename, but you can use Microsoft Word apps to save the file in another format. It is very safe and doesn’t change your data. Here are the steps:

As we mentioned, some apps like Excel, Word, and paint can allow you to change the file type in Windows 11. All you have to do is export the file in another format.

Step 1: Open your document file with Microsoft word.

Step 2: Click on the file button from the top.

Step 3: Here, find the option that says export.

Step 4: Here find and click on the Change File Type.

Step 5: Select the file type you want to use and then click on Save As.

You can also do the same with Save As option.

Step 1: Click on the File option and then click on Save As.

Step 2: Select the location where you want to save the file.

Step 3: Now click on the save type and choose your preferred file type.

Step 4: Click on Ok.

Method 5: Online File Conversion Services and File Converter

You can also use online websites like smallpdf.com to convert docs from one format to another.

Related Posts:

• How to Stop Automatic Updates in Windows 11
• How to Change Screen Resolution on a Windows 11 PC
• How to Open Task Manager in Windows 11

Conclusion

Above we have shared how to show file type for every file right in file explorer. If you want to know more about file explorer functions then let us know.