Free online M3U to XSPF converter

Some audio players and library managers accept XSPF but not M3U, so an existing playlist must be exported in the required format before import or sharing. Converting the playlist changes its structure and metadata references, not the audio files themselves.

What the M3U format is

M3U is a plain-text audio playlist format containing one local file path or stream URL per line. Lines beginning with # are comments or metadata; an extended M3U file commonly places a record such as #EXTINF:245,Artist - Title before each track.

Music players, media servers, IPTV applications, and operating systems use M3U playlists. Files usually use the .m3u extension; .m3u8 identifies an M3U file encoded in UTF-8. VLC, Winamp, foobar2000, Windows Media Player, streaming applications, and file-management tools can create or open these playlists. M3U stores references only; it does not contain the audio.

What the XSPF format is

XSPF, the XML Shareable Playlist Format, stores a playlist in an XML document. A track can contain a location plus metadata such as title, creator, album, track number, duration, and genre, using elements including <location>, <title>, and <creator>.

XSPF gives applications a structured, documented format for exchanging playlists and representing metadata. Locations are normally URI values, including local-file URIs and HTTP or HTTPS URLs. XSPF does not embed, compress, or convert the referenced audio.

How to convert M3U to XSPF

Using VLC

1. Open VLC and choose Media → Open File, then select the .m3u or .m3u8 playlist. Dragging the playlist into VLC's playlist window also works.
2. Open View → Playlist and verify that the tracks resolve to the intended files or stream URLs.
3. Choose Media → Save Playlist to File.
4. Enter a filename ending in .xspf. If VLC displays a format selector, choose XSPF, then save the file.
5. Open the saved playlist in the target player and check track order, locations, and metadata. Menu names and format selectors can vary between VLC versions.

Using 101convert.com

On 101convert.com, upload the M3U file, choose XSPF as the output format, start the conversion, and download the resulting playlist without installing software. Inspect the output before sharing it because it may expose local file paths or contain private stream URLs.

Compatibility and quality limits

• Locations determine portability. An entry such as C:\Music\track.mp3 may not work on Linux or another computer. Relative locations are portable only when the playlist and music retain the expected directory relationship; absolute locations usually work only on the original system.
• Some converters rewrite local paths as URIs such as file:///C:/Music/track.mp3. This conforms to XSPF's location model, but players differ in their handling of Windows paths, network shares, and percent-encoded characters.
• Remote URLs remain remote URLs. Conversion does not download streams, renew expired links, or provide authentication for protected services.
• M3U metadata is optional and inconsistent. If the source contains only paths, or the converter ignores #EXTINF records, artist, title, album, and duration data may be absent from the XSPF file.
• Special XML characters in paths and metadata, including &, <, and >, must be escaped. A compliant converter handles this; manually editing them as raw XML can make the XSPF invalid.
• Conversion does not improve audio quality or reduce audio-file size because it changes only the playlist container and its references.