Home → Techniques and Tips → Windows Operations → Making Filename Extensions Visible
There are two "Risk" files in my C:\Program Files (x86)\Palisade\Risk7 folder. How can two files have the same name?
They don't. One is actually Risk.exe and the other is Risk.xla. By default, Windows hides the three-letter "extension" from you. You can find it by right-clicking the file and selecting Properties. If you're in Details view, you can look at the File Type column, though it's not obvious how most file types correspond to extensions.
Another approach is just to tell Windows that you always want to see the extension right next to the file name. Here's how to do that in various versions of Windows.
Windows 10, Windows 8.1, Windows 8:
Click the folder icon in the taskbar, or double-click any folder, or press the Windows and E keys together.
On the View tab, check (tick) the box File name extensions.
Windows 7 (or Classic Shell in later Windows), Windows Vista, Windows XP;
Click the Start button and select Control Panel. Select Folder Options. (If you are in category view, click Appearance and Personalization and then click Folder Options.)
Clear the check box "Hide extensions for known file types", and click OK.
Last edited: 2018-07-18