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File ○꠹｜Definition｜1st｜20251119205401-00-⌔
Computer file
A computer file is a named collection of data treated as a unit by the system that manages it. Today, this system is called a file system1. Many older computer systems lacked a distinct file system per se, yet a management feature is required in order to provide a file abstraction.
Files can be shared with and transferred between computers and mobile devices via removable media, networks, or the Internet.
Different types of computer files are designed for different purposes. A file may be designed to store a written message, a document, a spreadsheet, an image, a video, a program, or any wide variety of other kinds of data. Certain files can store multiple data types at once.
By using computer programs, a person can open, read, change, save, and close a computer file. Computer files may be reopened, modified, and copied an arbitrary number of times.
Printed 2026-06-28.
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Link to original Footnotes
“file”. Oxford English Dictionary (online ed.). Oxford University Press. (Subscription or participating institution membership required.) Recorded from 1525: “A string or wire, on which papers and documents are strung for preservation and reference. Later extended to various other appliances for holding papers so that they can be easily referred to.” ↩
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