File Formats File Formats File formats are arrangements of electronic information.
Popular formats exist because they conform to a standard that programs can recognize.
Thus, a software company can develop a product which uses a format without having to create a unique one. This benefits the average computer user by making their information usable in a wide variety of programs. Most popular file formats are public domain, this is typically what makes them popular. Many of the best viewers are available for free. However, to develop documents or images in these formats u sually requires a shareware or off the shelf software package.