What Does File Mean?

A file is a container in a computer system for storing information. Files used in computers are similar in features to that of paper documents used in library and office files. There are different types of files such as text files, data files, directory files, binary and graphic files, and these different types of files store different types of information. In a computer operating system, files can be stored on optical drives, hard drives or other types of storage devices.

Techopedia Explains File

In most operating systems, a file must have a unique name within a given file directory. However, while creating a filename, certain characters are considered illegal, and hence cannot be used. A filename is comprised of a name with a suffix, which is also known as a file extension. The file extension is two to four characters following the period in the complete filename. The file extension helps in identifying the type of file, file format and the attributes associated with the file.