Free online TEXT to M3U converter

A media player, smart-TV app, car stereo, or IPTV application may accept a playlist only as M3U, while the available list is a plain .txt file. Converting it changes the list structure and does not convert, compress, or move the referenced audio or video.

What the TEXT format is

.txt is a generic plain-text container, not a standardized playlist format. A text file used as a media list usually contains one local filename, full path, or stream URL per line, but it may also contain headings, comments, blank lines, labels, or tab-separated metadata that playlist software cannot interpret.

What the M3U format is

M3U is a plain-text playlist format that stores media paths and stream URLs, normally one entry per line. A basic file can contain:

#EXTM3U
C:\Music\Album\track01.mp3
https://example.com/live/stream.m3u8

#EXTM3U identifies an extended playlist and is optional in some players. Extended M3U files can include an #EXTINF line containing duration and display name before each path or URL:

#EXTINF:-1,News channel
https://example.com/live/stream

M3U is recognized by applications including VLC, Kodi, many IPTV players, smart-TV software, and some car stereos. The playlist references media; it does not contain the media itself. .m3u8 conventionally indicates an M3U playlist encoded as UTF-8, while .m3u may use UTF-8 or a legacy local encoding depending on the player.

How to convert the file

If the text file has one valid path or URL per line, a text editor is sufficient:

1. Open the file in Notepad, Notepad++, Visual Studio Code, or another plain-text editor.
2. Remove headings and explanatory text. Keep one complete local path or URL on each line; remove blank lines and comments unless the target player documents support for them.
3. Add #EXTM3U as the first line.
4. Use File → Save as, choose UTF-8 when the player supports Unicode, and save with a name such as playlist.m3u. Ensure the editor does not append .txt, producing playlist.m3u.txt.
5. Open the result in the target application and test several entries.

For a playlist assembled from files rather than text lines, VLC avoids manual path editing. Open the files with Media → Open Multiple Files, arrange the order, then use Media → Save Playlist to File and select M3U. Media players such as foobar2000 and MusicBee also provide playlist-save or export commands; the exact menu name varies by version.

For repeated conversions, this Python script removes blank lines and lines beginning with # while preserving paths and URLs:

from pathlib import Path

source = Path("media.txt")
entries = [
    line.strip()
    for line in source.read_text(encoding="utf-8-sig").splitlines()
    if line.strip() and not line.lstrip().startswith("#")
]
Path("playlist.m3u").write_text(
    "#EXTM3U\n" + "\n".join(entries) + "\n",
    encoding="utf-8"
)

Save it as convert.py beside the source file, change media.txt if necessary, and run python convert.py. The output is playlist.m3u in the same directory. This script is suitable only when each retained line is already a usable path or URL; it does not extract paths from prose or tabular data.

Compatibility limitations

• An M3U file cannot reconstruct missing filenames, correct invalid paths, bypass stream authentication, or make inaccessible media available.
• A relative path is resolved from the playlist location by many players, but support and path rules vary. Relative paths are useful when the playlist and media folder move together; absolute paths are safer when the files stay on one system, but they usually break after the drive or directory changes.
• Use UTF-8 with .m3u8 when filenames contain accented characters or non-Latin scripts and the target supports it. Some older car stereos require a legacy ANSI code page, reject Unicode names, or impose limits on path length and playlist size.
• Do not add #EXTINF metadata unless the duration and title are accurate. A path-only playlist is often more compatible than one containing incorrect metadata.
• Online file converters are generally unnecessary for this structure-only task. A local editor, VLC, or the Python script avoids uploading private filenames, local paths, or stream URLs. If an online service is required, use a service that explicitly lists TXT-to-M3U support, inspect its privacy and deletion policy, and verify the downloaded extension and encoding before importing the file.