Free online PLS to M3U converter

A media player, smart-TV app, car stereo, or IPTV client may accept M3U playlists while rejecting PLS files. This conversion changes only the playlist index; the referenced audio, video, or stream files are not copied, transcoded, or otherwise modified.

What the PLS format is

PLS is an INI-style playlist format associated with Winamp, streaming-radio directories, and older media players. It stores numbered entries and playlist metadata, for example:

[playlist]
NumberOfEntries=1
File1=Music/song.mp3
Title1=Song
Length1=245
Version=2

File values may be relative paths, local Windows or Unix paths, UNC network paths, drive-letter paths, or HTTP stream URLs. Title and Length fields are optional metadata, and Length=-1 commonly indicates an unknown duration. PLS support varies between media players.

What the M3U format is

M3U is a line-based playlist format. A basic file contains one media path or URL per line. An extended M3U starts with #EXTM3U and can associate duration and display-title metadata with each entry through #EXTINF:

#EXTM3U
#EXTINF:245,Song
Music/song.mp3

M3U is supported by many desktop players, streaming applications, smart TVs, set-top boxes, car stereos, and IPTV clients. Its simpler structure is easier to edit and often more widely supported than PLS, but it cannot represent every PLS field. .m3u8 usually denotes an M3U playlist encoded as UTF-8; it does not mean that the referenced media is HLS.

How to convert PLS to M3U

Using 101convert.com

1. Upload the .pls file to the converter on 101convert.com.
2. Choose M3U as the output format and start the conversion.
3. Download the resulting playlist and open it in the target application.

The conversion processes playlist references, not the media files. A playlist can expose local paths, network-share names, or private stream URLs, so check its contents before uploading it.

Using VLC media player

1. Open VLC and select Media → Open File, then choose the .pls file. VLC may omit entries whose files or streams are unavailable.
2. Open the playlist with View → Playlist and verify that the required entries loaded.
3. Select Media → Save Playlist to File.
4. Enter a filename ending in .m3u, select an M3U playlist type if VLC presents a format choice, and save the file. Saving it beside the original is safest when the source uses relative paths.
5. Test the exported file in the intended player or device. Edit any incorrect paths in a plain-text editor.

Editing a short playlist manually

For a small PLS file, create a plain-text file beginning with #EXTM3U. Copy the values of File1, File2, and each subsequent File field in their numbered order, placing one path or URL on each line:

#EXTM3U
Music/song.mp3
https://example.com/stream

Do not copy NumberOfEntries, Version, Title, or Length as playlist entries. To retain titles and durations, add matching #EXTINF lines before the corresponding paths. Save as .m3u; UTF-8 is the most interoperable encoding, although some older players require a local legacy encoding.

Compatibility limitations

• No media conversion occurs: audio and video quality, codecs, and file sizes remain unchanged.
• Relative references such as Music/song.mp3 are normally resolved relative to the M3U file's directory. Move the playlist together with the referenced folders, or convert the references to valid absolute paths.
• Use forward-slash paths such as C:/Music/song.mp3 for better portability, but verify the target software's handling of Windows paths, spaces, and backslashes.
• UNC paths, drive letters, non-ASCII filenames, authentication-protected URLs, and network streams may work in one player and fail in another.
• PLS titles and durations survive only when the converter exports extended M3U #EXTINF records. A basic export may preserve paths and URLs only.
• M3U has no single universal encoding or metadata standard. If accented filenames appear corrupted, reopen or resave the playlist with the encoding required by the target application.