Change File Type in Windows 11: Best 4 Ways

File conversion is an important knowledge to have in this time and age because it can save you time and energy. This skill comes in handy when changing a file type to accommodate specific applications or to make it compatible with different devices.

In this article, we will provide you with the best ways to change a file type and help you know how to enable file extensions in Windows 11.

What is the default file encoding in Windows 11?

Today, computers most frequently use the Unicode character set, a universally accepted character encoding method. Windows 11 programs use the Unicode implementation UTF-16 internally. Two-byte codes designate the majority of characters in UTF-16.

How do I change the default file type in Windows 11? 

1. Use the save as feature to change file type

1. Open the file and select the file menu.
2. On the left pane, choose the Save as option from the list.
   
3. Pick a location where you want to save the file.
4. In the Save as window, click the drop-down menu and choose the format you would like to convert the file to, then hit the Save button.
   

2. Use File Explorer to rename your file

1. Launch File Explorer by holding the Windows + E keys together.
2. Navigate to the View tab at the top, choose the Show option, then select File name extensions.
   
3. Next, right-click on the file and choose the rename icon to convert the file to your desired format.
   
4. Change the file extension by modifying everything after the last dot to the file type you want.
   
5. Finally, press Enter to apply the changes you have made.

3. Use your command prompt

1. Go to the folder containing the file you want to change, right-click on it and pick Copy as path.
   
2. Next, press the Windows button, type cmd in the search bar, and choose Run as administrator.
   
3. In the command prompt, type cd /d and paste the file path that was copied earlier by pressing Ctrl + V.
   
4. Hit Enter to change the directory to the folder containing the files.
   
5. Next, type the following command for the file you want to convert. The example below will change an image from jpg to png format.
   rename "file-with-extension-1" "file-with-extension-2"
   

4. Use online converting tools

1. Many conversion tools are available for you to choose from online, but for this article, we will be using Zamzar.com.
2. Once on the site, click the Choose Files button.
   
3. Pick the file you want to convert and click Open.
   
4. Choose the format you want to convert to.
   
5. Next, click the Convert Now button.
   
6. As soon as the file is converted, download it.

How to change multiple file extensions at once Windows 11

Change multiple files within a folder

1. Go to the folder containing the files you want to change, right-click, and pick Copy as path.
   
2. Next, press the Windows button, type cmd in the search bar, and choose Run as administrator.
   
3. In the command prompt, type cd /d and paste the file path that was copied earlier by pressing Ctrl + V.
   
4. Hit Enter to change the directory to the folder containing the files you want to change.
   
5. Next, input the command below in the command prompt. Replace extension1 with the current extension of the files and extension2 with the format to which you want to change the files.
   rename *.extension1 *.extension2
   
6. Finally, hit Enter to change the extension of all the files within the folder.

Changing multiple files and keeping the original

1. Go to the folder containing the files you want to change, right-click, and pick Copy as path.
   
2. Next, press the Windows button, type cmd in the search bar, and choose Run as administrator.
   
3. In the command prompt, type cd /d and paste the file path that was copied earlier by pressing Ctrl + V.
   
4. Hit Enter to change the directory to the folder containing the files you want to change.
   
5. Next, input the command below in the command prompt. Replace extension1 with the current extension of the files and extension2 with the format to which you want to change the files.
   xcopy *.extension1 *.extension2
   

Change multiple files regardless of the extension

1. Follow steps 1 through 5 in the previous solution to open the command prompt and change the directory to folders containing the files you want to change.
2. Finally, input the command below into the command prompt. Replace .newextension with the file extension you want to convert to.
   ren *.* *.newextension
   
3. This process will convert all the files in the folder regardless of the extension they were in previously.

In conclusion, converting files from one format to the other will become more accessible by simply following the solutions highlighted in this article.