Everyday File Formats Cheatsheet

Choose a format before you save

Renaming is not conversion Changing a file extension does not change its encoded content
Keep an editable original Export a separate copy when another format drops features
Check the receiving app A file extension alone does not guarantee compatibility
Lossy versus lossless Lossy encoding discards detail; lossless preserves encoded data

.zip An archive that groups files and can compress their contents
.gz A compressed data stream, often used around one file
.tar An archive container; compression is a separate step
.tar.gz A tar archive compressed with gzip
Compressed does not mean encrypted Check the archive settings before sharing private data

.mp3 Lossy compressed audio
.wav An audio container often used for uncompressed PCM
.flac Lossless compressed audio
.mp4 A media container; playback also depends on the contained codecs
.webm A web media container with specific permitted codecs
Container versus codec The container holds streams; the codec encodes each stream

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/experience/storage-filemanagement/common-file-name-extensions-in-windows Check common file extensions and renaming limits
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/excel/get-started/import-or-export-text-txt-or-csv-files Check CSV export and import limitations
https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/Media/Guides/Formats/Image_types Compare image formats and their capabilities
https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/Media/Guides/Formats/Containers Check audio and video container definitions
/cheatsheets/spreadsheet-formulas/ Keep formulas in an editable workbook
/cheatsheets/markdown-syntax/ Write a Markdown document