m3u 

M3U File Extension

Have a problem opening a .M3U file? We collect information about file formats and can explain what M3U files are. Additionally we recommend software suitable for opening or converting such files.

What is the .M3U file type?

The .m3u file extension is associated with playlist files created and understood by all popular software media players and portable media devices.

A typical M3U file is a plaintext list of MP3 or other media files queued in a certain order to be played by a software or hardware media player. M3U files do not contain any media data, only plain text.



M3U files normally include relative, absolute or URL-based paths pointing to media resources included in the list, so the player 'knows' where to find the files. Comments and extended directives allow to store track names, position and duration data inside .m3u files.

An .m3u file can be processed on any platform that can handle text (TXT) files. In an M3U file, there can be references to local and remote media files, Internet audio and video streams, but a reference to another .m3u file may not be tolerated by some players.

A handy way of using an M3U playlist is to include an Internet radio stream URL in it and have your media player play the desired station.



Software to open or convert M3U files

You can open M3U files with the following programs:
VLC media player
VLC media player by VideoLAN
 
iTunes
iTunes by Apple Inc.
 
Winamp
Winamp by Nullsoft, Inc
 
KMPlayer
KMPlayer by PandoraTV
 
BS.Player FREE
BS.Player FREE by AB Team, d.o.o.
 


Popular Formats

Video Tutorials