What is the file type Popularity rating?
Each file type in the FileInfo database includes a Popularity rating that defines how popular the associated file type is.
The Popularity rating of each file type is based on a scale from 1 to 5 and is determined by visitors like you! The ranking scores are defined as follows:
| Stars | Rating | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
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Rare | File types that are no longer used or are only used by obscure programs are given a "Rare" rating. Most users will never see file types with these extensions. |
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Uncommon | File types used by programs that not very popular are given an "Uncommon" rating. These file types are often referenced by programs and are not seen by the user. |
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Average | File types that are used by most programs are given an "Average" rating. The average user will come across several of these file types, but not on a regular basis. |
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Common | File types that are used by popular programs are given a "Common" rating. These file types are typically saved by popular programs and are useful to know. |
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Very Common | File types that are used by the most common programs are given a "Very Common" ranking. These file types are ubiquitous and are seen by many users on a daily basis. |
You can use the Popularity rating to determine how common various file types are. For example, it may be helpful to remember the file extensions of file types with "Common" and "Very Common" ratings. To view a list of file types that have a "Very Common" rating, visit the Common File Types page.
The Popularity rating is also a good indicator of how easy it will be to find a program to open the associated file type. This is because file types with higher Popularity ratings are typically associated with widely-used software programs. When a file extension has multiple file associations, the Popularity rating can help you determine which of the file types is the most common.
Since software programs come and go, file types can change in popularity. Therefore, you may notice that some ratings change over time. Remember — you can participate in keeping the file types ratings up-to-date by clicking the appropriate number of stars for each file type.