Free online M3U to M3U8 converter
Convert M3U playlists to UTF-8 M3U8 files while preserving paths, URLs, and playlist entries.
Convert M3U to M3U8 online - free
Your file is processed instantly and never stored on our servers.
Import a file from a URL
Paste a direct link to the file. We download it to our server and it is converted exactly like an upload.
How it works
-
1/3
Upload your .m3u file
Click to browse to select your file you want to convert or simply drag & drop your file into selected area.
-
2/3
Perform .m3u to .m3u8 conversion
After successful file upload, click to convert when you are ready.
-
3/3
Download converted .m3u8 file
Conversion result is ready to download.
How to convert m3u to m3u8 file
- Audio
- No ratings yet.
Some IPTV apps, HLS players, and media devices accept a playlist only as a UTF-8 .m3u8 file. The conversion changes playlist text encoding and filename extension; it does not convert the audio, video, codecs, or URLs referenced by the playlist.
What M3U files contain
M3U is a plain-text playlist format used by media players, playlist managers, IPTV services, and streaming tools. It lists local file paths, network paths, or web URLs, generally one entry per line.
Extended M3U files begin with #EXTM3U and use tags such as #EXTINF for entry duration and display name. IPTV playlists often add non-standard attributes for logos, channel groups, and identifiers.
The .m3u extension does not require one character encoding. Older playlists may use Windows-1252, ISO-8859-1, or another local code page, which can display channel names or file paths incorrectly in software that expects UTF-8.
What M3U8 changes
M3U8 uses M3U playlist syntax encoded as UTF-8. UTF-8 preserves non-ASCII names consistently across systems and is required for HTTP Live Streaming (HLS) playlists.
The .m3u8 extension is widely associated with HLS manifests, which can reference stream variants and media segments such as .ts or .m4s. Renaming a music or IPTV playlist to .m3u8 does not turn it into an HLS manifest: valid HLS tags, segment URLs, and playlist structure are still required.
Convert the playlist to UTF-8
Use the converter on 101convert.com to convert an .m3u file to M3U8 without installing software. Upload the playlist, select M3U8 as the output format, and save the converted file.
For local conversion, use a text editor that lets you select the encoding:
- In Notepad++, open the source file, select Encoding → Convert to UTF-8, then select File → Save As and save it as
playlist.m3u8. - In Visual Studio Code, open the file, select its encoding in the status bar, choose Save with Encoding → UTF-8, then save with the
.m3u8extension. If names look garbled, use Reopen with Encoding first and select the source encoding that displays them correctly. - With
iconv, convert a known Windows-1252 source file withiconv -f WINDOWS-1252 -t UTF-8 input.m3u > output.m3u8. ReplaceWINDOWS-1252with the actual source encoding.
If the existing file is already valid UTF-8, changing playlist.m3u to playlist.m3u8 is sufficient. Changing the extension alone does not repair a legacy-encoded playlist.
Compatibility checks
Conversion is lossless when the source encoding is identified correctly. It does not download streams, repair invalid or expired URLs, change media quality, or alter codecs.
Keep the converted file in the same folder when it contains relative paths. For example, music/song.mp3 is resolved relative to the playlist's location, so moving playlist.m3u8 can break its entries.
For HLS use, save as UTF-8 without a byte-order mark (BOM), because HLS playlists must not begin with a BOM. Test the output in the target player; malformed HLS tags, invalid segment URLs, and unsupported encryption declarations remain invalid after encoding conversion.
M3U vs M3U8: format comparison
How the M3U and M3U8 formats compare on the properties that matter most for this conversion.
| Property | .M3U M3U playlist | .M3U8 HTTP Live Streaming playlist |
|---|---|---|
| Compression | Uncompressed | Uncompressed |
| Metadata support | Basic | Basic |
| Streaming | Partial | Yes |
| DRM protection | No DRM | Optional |
| Opens in a web browser | Partial | No |
| Typical file size | Very small | Very small |
| Open standard | Partly open | Partly open |
| Best used for | Music | Streaming |
| Introduced | 1996 | 2009 |
| Developer | — | Apple Inc. |
| MIME type | audio/x-mpegurl | application/vnd.apple.mpegurl |
Suggested software and links: m3u to m3u8 converters
Frequently asked questions
Is the M3U to M3U8 converter free?
Yes, converting M3U to M3U8 on 101convert.com is completely free. No registration, email address or installation is required. If you need a higher file size limit or want to convert more files at once, see our plans.
How large can my M3U file be?
You can upload M3U files up to 2 MB and convert up to 100 files at once in a single batch.
What happens to my uploaded files?
Files are processed automatically and deleted from our servers within a few minutes after conversion. We never view or share your files.
Do I need to install any software to convert M3U to M3U8?
No. The M3U to M3U8 conversion runs entirely online in your browser and works on Windows, Mac, Linux, Android and iPhone.
Did the conversion fail?
In most cases, the cause is an incorrect file format. Please upload a valid M3U file for this M3U to M3U8 conversion. Occasionally, the issue may be on our side. We analyze recurring conversion failures and disable or fix the converter if we detect a defect.
What changes when I convert an M3U playlist to M3U8?
The playlist is saved as UTF-8 text, while its media paths, URLs, and playlist entries remain the same. The audio or video files themselves are not converted.
Will my M3U playlist keep accented or non-English file names in M3U8?
Yes, provided the original text is decoded correctly before it is saved. M3U8 is intended for UTF-8 text, so names using characters such as accents or non-Latin scripts are less likely to appear garbled in compatible players.
Does converting M3U to M3U8 change the playlist quality or media files?
No, it does not change media quality because it only changes the playlist text encoding. The resulting playlist may be about the same size, with the exact difference depending on the characters and formatting.
Why does my M3U8 playlist show broken paths after conversion?
This usually happens when a path contains non-ASCII characters and the original M3U was interpreted with the wrong encoding, or when a player handles UTF-8 incorrectly. Converting the text encoding cannot fix a path that was already damaged or a path that no longer matches the actual file location.