Extract text from multimedia playlists (M3U)
To convert M3U playlists to another format, you need VLC media player or other Audio software.
To convert other file formats to the "Media Playlist File" file type, you need software like VLC media player or a similar tool.
An .M3U file is a plain text file that stores a list of multimedia paths or URLs. Originally created by Nullsoft for the classic Winamp player, it is now the standard playlist format for almost every media application, including VLC media player and IPTV services.
The biggest disadvantage of the .M3U format is the massive confusion it causes. It contains absolutely zero audio or video data. It is simply a text map pointing to media files stored elsewhere. If the playlist uses local computer paths (like C:\Music\song.mp3), the file will instantly break if you move it to another device or rename the folder. If it uses web URLs for streaming, it relies entirely on the external server remaining active.
Because an .M3U is just text, standard online converters fail when users try to convert an .M3U to MP3 or MP4. You cannot magically turn a text file into audio. To get the actual media, you must open the playlist, read the URLs inside, and download the files manually using a dedicated tool.
You can, however, convert an .M3U to other text-based playlist formats like M3U8 (which forces UTF-8 encoding for international characters), PLS, or XSPF for better compatibility with specific players.
Convert.Guru analyzes your M3U file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted M3U8, MP3, TXT, CSV, M4A, MP4, XSPF, PLAYLIST, MAC, MPU, XML, W3U and PLS files.
If you want to convert M3U file to MP3, MP4, M3U8, XML, CSV, TEXT, WAV, AAC, FLAC, OGG, WMA or M4A, you can use VLC media player or similar software from the "Multimedia Playlist Storage" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert MIDI, AAC, TTA, AU, WV, DTS, MID, FLAC, RA, MP3, PCM or WAV files to M3U, try VLC media player or another comparable tool in the "Multimedia Playlist Storage" category.
The history of Convert.Guru began over 25 years ago in California with Tom Simondi’s file-format database. A former contributor to Space Shuttle development and a software pioneer of the 1980s, Simondi established a trusted resource for file type analysis that was even referenced by Microsoft Windows XP. Today, we use modern technology to process and convert thousands of file formats while continually improving our M3U converter.