What type of file is this and how do I view or edit it under Linux?
Simply double-clicking on a file will often open it in the correct program.
If your file does not have an extension, or seems to have the wrong extension, use the file command to let the system take a guess at what type of file it is. Syntax is file filename
If unsure how to use any of the programs in this table, use the man command e.g. man bunzip2
| File extension | Type of file | What application to use to view it |
|---|---|---|
| .bz2 | Compressed | bunzip2 to uncompress it |
| .doc | MS Word Document | libreoffice or antiword |
| .docx | MS Word Document | libreoffice or docx2txt |
| .exe | Windows execuatable | Run on a windows computer, watch out for a virus |
| .gz | Compressed | gunzip |
| .jpg/.jpeg | Picture | xv |
| .pcx | Picture | convert filename.pcx filename.jpg ; xv |
| PDF text document | evince or acroread | |
| .ppt | PowerPoint Presentation | libreoffice |
| .ps | Postscript | ghostview or gv |
| .rtf | Rich Text Format | libreoffice |
| .tar | Archive | tar xvf |
| .tar.gz | compressed archive | tar xzvf |
| .uu | uuencoded, need to uudecode to see its type | uudecode |
| .xls | MS spreadsheet | libreoffice |
| .Z | compressed | gunzip or uncompress |
| .zip | Zipped file | unzip |
