The way in which we see information has changed enormously in recent times, with the use of information technology, information has become much more accessible and fluid. This has created a complex network through which data circulates.
Much of this information is stored in file formats, which make it possible to organize the information and encode it. From the computer point of view, they are a memory unit that only stores bits, which will then be converted by the computer.
But it is important to know how to differentiate between the different types of formats, since each one has characteristics that differentiate it from the rest.
Knowing the different types of files
Each file format has codes that differentiate it from the others. For example, among the most popular video formats we find MP4, MPEG-4, MKV, FLV, MOV, and WMV.
We can also find digital image formats such as JPEG / JPG, PNG, RAW, BMP and psd. Just to point out some of them, it is important to know how to differentiate between them because each one fulfills specific functions.
On the other hand, we find the text formats which are used to view and edit text files. Among these we can find txt, html/.htm, doc, pdf, rtf and ps.
There are also types of compressed or encrypted files, in this category we can find formats such as zip, arc, bin and exe. These formats allow us to reduce the weight of the files.
Among other most used formats are audio files, these are the ones that store sound and are presented to us in digital audio formats such as au, aiff, mp3, ra and wav. There are also many other types of formats, for example Excel xls files.
Since there are a large number of formats, it is likely that in some cases we will need to work with a specific one and we will need to convert them. Usually for this action we are told that we have to download very heavy programs that do this for us.
In fact no need to download any program to convert our files. In this article we will teach you how to do it in a practical and simple way without having to download or install anything.
Steps to change the format of a file in Windows without programs
There are many versions of the Windows operating system, one of the most used today in the world, since it is one of the best on the market. This thanks to a wide variety of tools that this operating system provides us.
One of them is to be able to change the format of our files, without having to download any program or application. The first step we must do is go to the Windows search engine and write Folder Options then we click.
Another way to access this function is to open our file explorer, once inside we go to the top of the screen and select the option that says View. An options bar will open and we go to the right part of it, where it says Options and we select Folder Options.
A configuration box with three tabs will open, we must select the second View tab, in the section that says Advanced settings we look for the option Hide file extensions for known file types.
We must deactivate it and in the case of already having it deactivated, we leave it as is. Then we click where it says Apply at the bottom of the box and then click OK.
Find the file to be reformatted
With the actions that we carry out in the previous steps, the extension that each file has will begin to appear at the end of its name, whether it is an image, audio, video or any other. Now we just have to find the file that we want to change the format.
Once we find it, we right click on it and look for the Change name option, this will allow us to edit the name. We go to the end of the name and delete the extension of the current format.
Finally, we put the extension of the format to which we want to change it and that’s it. If the entire procedure has been carried out, we have successfully changed it.
