---
title: "What is .dex extension?"  
description: "What is .dex extension?"  
author: "Rohan Singh"  
published: 2018-01-23  
canonical: https://answers.mindstick.com/qa/33504/what-is-dex-extension  
category: "technology"  
tags: ["android"]  
reading_time: 1 minute  

---

# What is .dex extension?

What is .dex [extension](https://www.mindstick.com/articles/22/extension-method)?

## Answers

### Answer by Arti Mishra

**.dex Extension:** .dex stands for **Dalvik Executable** Format. This is executable file which is **developed by google**. In android, if we compile our programs then it will generate .dex (Dalvik Executable) files, which are in turn zipped into a single .apk (Android Package) file on the device. .dex files created automatically when our programs are compiled and translate the compiled applications, written in the Java programming language.\
![What is .dex extension?](https://answers.mindstick.com/questionanswer/c994c800-c245-4cb5-979c-9f21de8c4c0b/images/ee717ce2-0491-4b88-9aaf-d7326b00a594.png)[Image Source](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7b50u_puRU) It is similar to **java class files**, but they are run on older android version under the **Dalvik Virtual Machine (DVM)**. If you want to decompile **.dex** file then use **dexdump** tool which is provided in android-sdk. It is a developer files that is used to initialize & executes our programs. \


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Original Source: https://answers.mindstick.com/qa/33504/what-is-dex-extension

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