Show File Extensions

Make File Explorer always show file extensions so you can see the true file type instead of just the name.

Set-ItemProperty -Path HKCU:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced -Name HideFileExt -Value 0; Stop-Process -Name explorer -Force; Start-Process explorer

Scope: user

By default, Windows hides known file extensions in File Explorer. This means document.docx appears as just document, and photo.jpg appears as photo. This is confusing and can be a security risk — malware often disguises itself as invoice.pdf.exe which appears as invoice.pdf with extensions hidden.

This command sets HideFileExt to 0 in the registry, then restarts Explorer to apply the change immediately.

You can also toggle this in File Explorer via View → Show → File name extensions.