Comments on: Show Filename Extensions in Mac OS X

By: 9 Simple Tricks to Improve the OS X Finder

9 Simple Tricks to Improve the OS X Finder — Fri, 01 Mar 2013 21:12:15 +0000

[...] of not knowing what’s a .jpg, .png, .gif, or whatever else just by looking at the extension? Show those file extensions and you can easily identify file formats just by looking at the [...]

By: Add a File Extension to a Group of Files from the Command Line in OS X

Add a File Extension to a Group of Files from the Command Line in OS X — Thu, 22 Nov 2012 21:07:37 +0000

[...] sure to have file extensions visible on all files in OS X, that way the extension change will be visible in the Finder in addition to [...]

By: Win A. Mac

Win A. Mac — Tue, 24 Jul 2012 18:32:23 +0000

Thanks for posting this. Changing this setting is just as much a must in Mac as it is in Windows. Showing extensions is definitely a must for professionals. Again, thanks!

By: Disable the File Extension Change Warning in Mac OS X

Disable the File Extension Change Warning in Mac OS X — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 18:41:58 +0000

[...] you have file extensions shown in the OS X Finder, attempting to change a file extension causes a warning dialog with a confirmation [...]

By: tom B

tom B — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 19:55:18 +0000

In this connected age, showing file extensions is a must. There ARE files that could infect even a Mac, and extensions are one quick way to know what a file is without clicking on it.

By: Makka

Makka — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 21:07:52 +0000

“File extensions (.jpg, .txt, .pdf, etc) are hidden by default in Mac OS X, this makes for a cleaner user experience and is fine for most users, but it drives me nuts and it’s one of the first things I change when setting up a Mac.”

Exactly. Hidden extensions are so annoying. It’s one of the first settings I change.

By: Eric Woehler

Eric Woehler — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 19:44:13 +0000

The Finder setting to hide extensions is hit and miss – it works for some files but not others. It definitely doesn’t work with MS Office 2008/2011 files – their extensions show all the time. Adobe PDFs sometimes show, sometimes not. Files created by Apple applications seem to be the most consistent, so I suspect its a third-party adherence to Apple software and/or GUI guidelines that determine if extensions show or not..

having said that, I am at the other end of the spectrum – I NEVER want to see extensions, and wish there was some universal Terminal command to banish them forever.

By: Salsa Brava

Salsa Brava — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 17:48:03 +0000

This is one of those ‘must do’ changes as soon as you boot a new Mac. That and dragging half the garbage out of the Dock.

By: James Ludtke

James Ludtke — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 17:09:48 +0000

Showing file extensions is useful for files with different formats saved with the same name, for example, I may have an “order peanuts” text file, and an “order peanuts” JPG file. Since I exclusively use column view, it is hard to distinguish the file format based on the small icons. To keep the display names short I prefer to set show extension only for individual files.