M3U file guides

Which guide to read

Start with what an M3U file is if you have never opened one. Read the anatomy guide if you want to understand each line of a file. If a file will not open in your player, go to the not-opening guide. To check the structure of your own file, use the inspector.

What each guide covers

The first guides follow the order most readers need. The first explains the format itself: a plain text file that lists media addresses, usually with a .m3u or .m3u8 extension, and the difference between the two extensions. The second walks through a complete example line by line, so you can match each part of a real file to what it does. The third covers the failures that come up most often when a player or editor will not open a playlist.

Each guide links to the others where a reader would need the next step, and each one states what it does not cover. None of them explains how to find or obtain media. They describe the file format only, and they assume you already have a file you are entitled to open.

Before you start

Keep a copy of any playlist before you edit it. Most problems come from a small change, such as a line break saved in the wrong encoding or a missing header, so a copy makes it easy to compare. The inspector reads a file in your browser and reports the header, the entries and any line that does not follow the structure, which is often the quickest way to find the cause.