How to open a playlist file online
Three steps, a few seconds, no software.
Open your .M3U8 file
Drop it on the box, choose it from your device, or paste its text straight in. Nothing is streamed.
View every entry
Titles, durations, groups and links are listed, with local and insecure links flagged.
Inspect or convert
Check quality levels and segments, copy the links, or save the playlist in another format.
What is a .M3U8 file?
Lists of songs, videos, radio stations or stream segments.
An M3U8 file is a plain-text playlist that lists track paths or stream URLs. It holds no audio or video itself. Open it in VLC to play a local playlist or an HLS stream. To save a streamed video as a single MP4, use yt-dlp or ffmpeg on the stream URL.
Programs that open .M3U8 files
| Full name | UTF-8 M3U Playlist / HLS (HTTP Live Streaming) Playlist |
|---|---|
| Developer | Originally Nullsoft (M3U for Winamp); HLS variant standardized by Apple (RFC 8216) |
| First released | M3U from Winamp (late 1990s); m3u8 = UTF-8 M3U; HLS use of m3u8 since 2009 (Apple), RFC 8216 in 2017 |
| Category | Text & Code |
| MIME type | application/vnd.apple.mpegurl (HLS) or audio/x-mpegurl |
Related viewers
Every viewer is free to use.
Frequently asked questions
Does this viewer play my .M3U8 file?
Only if you ask it to. Opening a playlist never connects anywhere. Each web link has a play button; the first time you press it we tell you which server it will contact.
Why can't some tracks be played?
Entries like C:\Music\song.mp3 or album/track.mp3 point to files on the computer where the playlist was created. They're flagged as Local path or Relative path.
What do the HLS quality levels mean?
A master .m3u8 offers the same video at several resolutions and bitrates. The player picks one based on your connection. We list them with resolution, bitrate and decoded codec names such as H.264 High or AAC-LC.
Is an IPTV playlist legal?
The file format is neutral. Whether the streams in it are licensed depends on the provider. We only show the list; we don't host or check streams.
Can I convert M3U to PLS or XSPF?
Yes. Titles, durations and locations are kept. HLS manifests are exported as a list of their variant or segment links.
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