WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):

computer file
    n 1: (computer science) a file maintained in computer-readable
         form

The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (30 December 2018):

file
computer file

    An element of data storage in a file system.

   The history of computing is rich in varied kinds of files and
   file systems, whether ornate like the Macintosh file
   system or deficient like many simple pre-1980s file systems
   that didn't have directories.  However, a typical file has
   these characteristics:

   * It is a single sequence of bytes (but consider Macintosh
   resource forks).

   * It has a finite length, unlike, e.g., a Unix device.

   * It is stored in a non-volatile storage medium (but see
   ramdrive).

   * It exists (nominally) in a directory.

   * It has a name that it can be referred to by in file
   operations, possibly in combination with its path.

   Additionally, a file system may support other file
   attributes, such as permissions; timestamps for creation,
   last modification, and last access and revision numbers (a` la
   VMS).

   Compare: document.

   (2007-01-04)