How to Show File Extensions in Windows 10

This Itechguide teaches you how to show file extensions in windows 10. The guide covers steps for 2 methods to show file extensions in windows 10.

Option 1: Show File Extensions from File Explorer

• Right-click Windows 10 Start menu and click File Explorer.

• On File Explorer, click the View tab to expand it.

• Then, on the top right of the expanded View tab, click Options. Folder Options will open.

• On the Folder Options window, click the View tab.

• Finally, on the Advanced settings section of Folder Options View tab, uncheck the Hide extensions for known file types checkbox.

• After unchecking the Hide extensions for known file types checkbox, to save your changes, click OK.

Option 2: Show File Extensions from the Control Panel

• Type control panel in the search box. Then, from the search results, click Control Panel.

• On the top right of Control Panel, if View by is set to Category, click the drop-down and select Small icons or Large icons.

• Then, on the modified Control Panel view, click File Explorer Options.

• When the File Explorer Options window opens, click the View tab.

• Finally, on the Advanced settings sections of File Explorer Options View tab, uncheck Hide extensions for known file types checkbox and click OK.

Option 3: Show File Extensions from Registry

• Right-click Windows 10 Start menu and click Run.

• On the Run Window, type RegEdit and click OK.

• If you receive a User Account Control confirmation window, click Yes. The Windows Registry Editor will open.
• When Registry Editor opens, navigate to the path below:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced 

• On the left pane, highlight the Advanced key. Then, on the details pane, double-click the HideFileExt REG_DWORD key to open it for editing.

• When the HideFileExt REG_DWORD key opens for editing, change the Value data from 1 to 0. To save your changes, click OK.

• Before you exit Windows Registry, confirm that the value in the Data column of HideFileExt key is 0.

• After modifying Windows Registry, you may need to restart your PC for your changes to take effect.

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