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Change File Extension (Container) on Android

Hey pals!



Let's now, chat about a very interesting thing, change File Extension (container only) on Android. You can do that on windows & there's a method to do it even on Android OS. Also we may chat about what's a "Container" in File System terms (not the Box container :P). So let's get going!





FILE EXTENSIONS & CONTAINERS

So what is a "File Container" and what's a "File Extension"?

Well I think I had talked about File Extensions, in one of my past posts, but Anyways, File Extensions are used divide files into groups for their identification.It's justified to call a file Extension one of the measures of its identification. Like a man's/woman's identification would be his/her Passport, Driving Licence, Voter's Card, etc. One of them can be called a File Extension.

For instance, a file created using Notepad, would have ".txt" File Extension. A Word Document's output file has ".doc" or newer popular format ".docx". File Extensions appear at the end of File-name if you've the Settings to enable their Viewing. ".mp3" is a popular Audio File Extension & ".mp4" is a popular Video File Format.

"File Containers" are a part of Files. They're the portion that is shown to you. You know, changing a person's name won't change his/her significance or character, it'll only change his/her name. In similar fashion, you can always rename a file and type ".mp3" instead of ".txt" original Format (File Extension). Will that change the File into Audio file. Of-course not! it'll only change it's type, not its qualities of being a Text file!

The part ".mp3" of an Audio File or ".txt" of a Text file is its File Container. You can always change that, but it will never change the qualities/character of a File.

WHY CHANGE FILE CONTAINERS?

So if file Containers never change the character of a file, why do we require to change them?

I'll begin to answer this with an example. Have you seen a person change his/her name? Actually I know a couple of persons, who have actually changed their names at the age of 10 or so. Why would they do it? Maybe it's the requirement of their religion or Maybe they simply want a new name!

Similarly in case of files, there might be Human-errors in a file, causing it to have wrong container. What if you download an Audio File from the internet, showing all clues of being an Audio file (for example its size), but has actually a ".txt" Container (Extension). Then you can change its Extension to .mp3 or so and show the file the right way!

CHANGING FILE CONTAINERS ON ANDROID

So Android, a very popular Operating system, also has the ability to change file extensions in it. Since, I guess, your Stock File Browser might/might-not allow you to modify File Containers, you can do that using another External File Browsing App (downloaded from the Google Play Store).

One of those Apps, that I've found to be working good for this Aim, is "Root Browser", I think "Root Explorer" could also work. You can see my review on Root Browser in the following link:

View Now

Also, here's the Google Play Store link for it, if you need:

Visit Now



After downloading and running the app on your Android Phone/device, you'll have to browse your file (of which you wanna change File Extension). Consider we need to change the container of a .txt file to .mp3. Long press that file, Tap on "Rename" and change the last ".txt." to ".mp3" by typing & Save, which is it!



Also files with no extensions can also have them by Renaming and typing ".___" in the end, where "___" is the File Container you want.

That's all!

ENJOY!!!







1 comment:

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    ReplyDelete

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