For as wonderful as the Mac is, especially now that we have proper MacBook Pro’s powered by Apple Silicon, there are still some quirks. Many of these quirks reside in the software, as macOS is going through a few growing pains as Apple continues its transition away from Intel.
However, one quirk, the inability to see file extensions, has always been there. By default, Apple hides the file’s filename extension, which can be a bit cumbersome if you’re looking for a specific type of file on your Mac.
Luckily, you aren’t completely left out of the dark, as there are two different methods for you to view file extensions in Finder on the Mac.
Show File Extensions for One File
The first method for viewing file extensions is pretty basic. And even this method offers two different ways to view the file extension. The first method is as simple as locating the file, highlighting it in Finder, and pressing CMD + I on your keyboard. But if you forget the keyboard combination, here’s how you can view file extensions for a single file.
Open Finder on your Mac.
Locate the file that you want to view the extension for.
In the menu bar, click File
Select Get Info in the drop-down menu.
Click the arrow next to Name & Extension to expand the section.
Click the checkbox next to Hide extension in order to show (or hide) the file extension.
Show All File Extensions in Finder
The next method is a bit more involved and will show the file extensions for everything on your Mac. This includes things like apps and basic documents that you otherwise wouldn’t need to know the extension for. Here’s how you can show all file extensions in Finder on Mac:
Open Finder on your Mac.
Click Finder in your Mac’s menu bar.
Select Preferences from the drop-down menu.
Click Advanced in the top bar.
Check the toggle next to Show all filename extensions.
Exit Finder Preferences.
Locating the file extension is just one piece of the puzzle, at least for those who have a tendency of renaming files. There’s another piece that involves being aware of the naming convention for the file that you might be changing. In the event that you accidentally (or intentionally) change a filename’s extension, that file may become corrupt and will no longer be available. Apple has implemented a warning that appears if you are attempting to change the extension, providing a layer of security between you and potentially ruining a file for good.
Andrew Myrick is a freelance writer based on the East Coast of the US. He enjoys everything to do with technology, including tablets, smartphones, and everything in between. Perhaps his favorite past-time is having a never-ending supply of different keyboards and gaming handhelds that end up collecting more dust than the consoles that are being emulated.
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