When using your computer, the type of file that you have stored will often remain like that for all eternity.
However, at times, you may need to change a file type or extension on your computer. This could be due to several factors: Maybe you need to send it as another file type, or perhaps to make it compatible with another software.
Whatever the reason is, below, we look at some two simple ways to change a file type in your computer.
Use the ‘Save As’ Option
We begin with the option to save the file as a different type of file.
To save a file in a different format, do the following:
- Open the file in a program which supports both the current file format and target format. So for example if you have DOCX and want to change it to PDF, opening it in MS Word is okay.
- Then, go to File > Save As. The select where you want to save: document or desktop
- Click the down menu next to Save As type and select your preferred format from the list given.
- Then click Save.
There, it’s done. You can also this method but with a different software to change MP4 files to MP3.
Rename the File Extension
The other way to change the file type is to rename the file extension.
Here is how to do this method:
- Open your file explorer using Win + E and find your file
- Right-click on the file. Then select rename
- Then, at the end of the file will be its format. Replace the older file extension with the new one. For example, if it was DOCX, and you want to make it PDF, you will delete DOCX and replace it with PDF.
- Press Enter
- Click Yes to confirm
However, you should note that this method has its limitations in that some contents of the changed file may be unusable. Also, changing a .txt to a .jpg will often not change the textual file to images.
And if you want to learn more about shortcuts on your computer that will make typing easier, click here.
