Free online M3U8 to M3U converter

Source format

M3U8 is a plain-text playlist format that uses UTF-8 encoding. It is commonly used for audio and video playlists, internet radio, and especially HLS streaming playlists that reference media segments or variant streams. Because it is UTF-8, it can store non-ASCII characters in file paths, titles, and URLs more reliably than older encodings.

Target format

M3U is also a plain-text playlist format supported by many media players, car stereos, set-top boxes, and playlist editors. It can contain local file paths, URLs, and optional metadata such as track titles and durations. In practice, converting m3u8 to m3u usually means saving the same playlist with a different filename extension and, if needed, a different text encoding.

How to convert

Best desktop method: use a text editor that can open and save text files with explicit encoding control, such as Notepad++, Sublime Text, or Visual Studio Code.

1. Open the .m3u8 file in your editor.
2. Check whether the playlist contains only ASCII characters or includes accented letters, non-Latin text, or special symbols.
3. Save the file with the .m3u extension, for example playlist.m3u.
4. If the target device is older, change the text encoding if necessary:
   • UTF-8 is usually the safest choice for modern players.
   • ANSI or Latin-1 may be needed for some legacy devices, but characters outside that code page can be lost.

Notepad++ example:

1. Open the file in Notepad++.
2. Use Encoding to inspect or change the character set if needed.
3. Choose File → Save As and save the file as .m3u.

Visual Studio Code example:

1. Open the playlist file.
2. Click the encoding indicator in the status bar if you need to change the encoding.
3. Use File → Save As and rename the file to .m3u.

VLC option: VLC can open many playlist files, but it is not the most reliable tool for a simple .m3u8 to .m3u conversion because it may not preserve the exact text encoding or playlist structure you want. A text editor is usually better when the goal is only to change the extension or encoding.

Online converters: Because both formats are text-based, a dedicated online converter is usually unnecessary. If you still want one, use a reputable file conversion service only for non-sensitive playlists, since the file may contain local paths, private URLs, or network locations. For privacy and control, a desktop editor is the better choice.

Compatibility notes

M3U8 and M3U are structurally very similar; the main difference is the expected encoding. A file named .m3u8 is expected to be UTF-8, while .m3u may be interpreted more loosely by older software. Simply renaming the extension may work for many players, but some devices care about the actual text encoding. If the playlist includes non-ASCII characters and the target player is old, saving as ANSI or Latin-1 may improve compatibility, though some characters may be lost. Also, if the .m3u8 file is an HLS playlist, converting it to .m3u does not change the streaming content itself; it only changes the file name and possibly the encoding. If the target player does not support HLS, the playlist may still not play correctly.