# How to get the file extension in Node.js

> Learn how to get a file extension in Node.js using the built-in path module and its extname() method, which returns values like .png or .jpg from a file name.

Author: [Flavio Copes](https://flaviocopes.com/about/) | Published: 2021-06-19 | Topics: [Node.js](https://flaviocopes.com/tags/node/) | Canonical: https://flaviocopes.com/node-get-file-extension/

I had the need to find the extension of a file.

I had the name of the file, in my case an image, and wanted to get the extension (.jpg, .png..).

To do this, you can use the [`path` built-in module](https://flaviocopes.com/node-module-path/) and its `extname()` method:

```js
const path = require('path')

path.extname('picture.png') //.png
path.extname('picture.of.a.dog.png') //.png
path.extname('picture.of.a.dog.jpg') //.jpg
path.extname('picture.of.a.dog.jpeg') //.jpeg
```