File Types
 Typical Uses
Portable Document Format (.pdf) - This format is suitable for sharing and viewing documents across Operating Systems and devices (including phone and tablet) without compromising formatting developed for the document using any text editor.

Applications:
  • Adobe Reader (free)
  • Adobe Acrobat (paid)
  • Foxit Reader (free)
  • Sumatra (free)
  • PDF-XChange Viewer (free)
  • Archiving (PDF/A)
  • Printing
  • Emailing
  • Sharing/Publishing
  • Interactive Forms
Microsoft Word Document (.docx, .doc) - Associated commonly with Microsoft's word processor, this format is used typically for editing and collaborating on documents. The newer extension (.docx) is more compatible with various programs and is recommended over the older one (.doc).

Applications:
  • Microsoft Word (paid)
  • Google Drive/Docs (free)
Note: the current versions of OpenOffice and LibreOffice do not have proper support for the DOCX format and will have problems opening and editing files.
  • Printing
  • Emailing
  • Collaboration/Editing
  • Sharing/Web Publishing
JPEG Image Format (.jpg, .jpeg) - The Joint Photographic Experts Group image format is the most common image format in use today. All operating systems have an image viewer capable of opening them and all modern internet browsers support the format. JPEG's have adjustable compression to significantly reduce filesize, at the expense of image quality (known as a “lossy” format).
Note: This format, while fully cross-platform and supported by all devices that users are likely to use for viewing documents, is not recommended for any application but emailing and limited web publishing of individual pages or partial pages.
  • Emailing
  • Sharing/Web Publishing
TIFF Image (.tiff) - The Tagged Image File Format is one of the more popular formats used in graphic design and publishing. Most operating systems and modern browsers can open these files without the need for third-party software. Because TIFF files tend to be much larger in size, it can make storage of a large number of documents more cumbersome and sharing (especially through email) more difficult.
Note: This format is not recommended for the majority of users.
  • Archiving
  • Printing
Microsoft Excel Spreadsheet (.xlsx, xls) - This is Microsoft Excel’s current default file format. It stores tabular data in a series of spreadsheets within a “workbook”. The data is presented in cells, arranged in rows and columns, and allows users to manipulate that data through various arithmetic operations and built-in functions. This format can be opened in other applications such as Google Drive/Docs and Open Office without any compatibility issues.
  • Collaboration/Editing
  • Exporting
  • Sharing
Extensible Markup Language (.xml) - in the context of the MS Web Portal, these are text files that store data in a structured, “human-readable” format. XML is ideal for importing into third-party applications.
  • Exporting
  • Archiving
Comma Separated Files (.csv) - Similar to a text file, CSV files store data without any formatting information. The CSV format is designed to store tabular data separated by commas (or other special symbols). This data can then be imported into a third-party database program such as MS Access or into a spreadsheet program such as MS Excel.
Note: It is not intended to be printed or edited directly.
  • Exporting
MHTML (.mht, mhtml) - MIME HTML is a specialized format used for archiving web pages or documents that use companion resources (such as linked images) or external content. Internet Explorer is the only browser that currently supports opening MHTML files. It is possible to add MHTML functionality to browsers like Opera, Safari, Firefox, or Chrome by downloading special add-ons or extensions.
Note: Because this format is not widely-supported, it is recommended that it not be used except in specific cases where it has been requested.
  • Archiving