A full name of a file consists of its name and extension. File extension is a very important part of the file name. Sometimes without the file extension you have no idea what the file is. It is not easy to show file extensions on iOS devices. There are several file manager apps to display filename extensions. In this article, I’ll show you how to view file extension using the native Files app which is shipped with iOS 11 and later. I will also share with you a third-party file manager for iOS which allows us to display and edit file extension on iPhone iPad. For example, you can use it to change .png to .jpg extension.
View file extension in Files app on iPhone
You can use the built-in Files app to view file extensions. Firstly you can make use of the share feature to save the file to the Files app if not yet. Once a file being added to Files app, long press on the file, you will then see a pop-up menu with options such as Duplicate, Rename, Compress, Copy, Move, etc. Choose Get Info from the menu, the file details will be displayed in a full screen like below.
From the file info screen, you can find the full file name with extension, file type, size, storage location, created date and time, modified date and time, tags, etc.
Edit file extension using Files app on iPhone
Open the Files app and navigate to the file whose extension you want to change. Tap and hold the file until you get the pop-up menu and select Rename from the menu. Delete the existing extension and type a new one. Tap Done on your keyboard to confirm. This method however can’t help you change or edit some file types. In this case, you can download a file management app from the App Store that supports the file type you’re working with. Apps like Documents by Readdle or FileMaster are good choices.
Change file extension using Documents app on iPhone
Documents by Readdle is a very popular file manager for iOS. It has made the file rename and file extension editing really easy. Go to open the folder where the file you like to view or edit is saved in Documents app on iPhone. Simply tap its file name to rename it and move the cursor to the file name extension to change it.
