You may need to convert the file type (that is, change its format, extension) if you need to change the size or improve the playback quality. In addition, some players and internet services only support certain file formats.
Instructions
Step 1
To change the extension of any file, you must first activate the display of the file extension in your operating system. Go to "Explorer" (press the Win + E keys), open the folder where the required file is located. Next, in the "Explorer" menu, you will need to select an item called "Folder Options". By the way, this menu may not be available in Windows 7; then for its appearance press the "Alt" key in the explorer window. The item equivalent to "Folder properties" is called "Folder options".
Step 2
You will see a dialog box in which there will be a "View" tab. Click on it. In the additional parameters, you will see a line with the following text: "Hide extensions for registered file types". The checkbox that will stand in front of this line will need to be removed and the "OK" button pressed. After that, the file extensions will be visible to the user and he will be able to change them. In addition, you can see the extension of a file in the "Total Commander" manager (there this option is enabled by default). To change the format, press "F2" and in the context menu (you can select it with the right mouse click) select "Rename".
Step 3
However, you cannot change the format of a multimedia file by performing such actions (you cannot, for example, convert the extension "ape" to "mp3", and "mkv" to "avi"). You will need special programs to change the extensions of audio and video files. And do not forget that if the format is changed incorrectly, the file may simply become inaccessible, that is, not open. To change the format of not only audio files, but also video and graphic files, a program such as "Format Factory" is suitable. This program belongs to the type of free software, you can download it from the official site.
