Opening Attachments

One of the most useful features of e-mail is the ability to send digital files. But once you receive an attachment, how do you open it? The answer depends on the type of file and how your computer is configured.

All digital files have names, such as "balloon1.jpg." The letters after the "." are known as the file extension and indicate which kind of program can open the file. For instance, you can view a .jpg photo file with your web browser or a picture viewer and listen to an .mp3 music file with Windows Media Player and iTunes, among others. The most common types of files sent over the Net include these:

To learn more about file types and for a comprehensive list, refer to the File Formats article.