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M3U8 M3U
File conversion

Convert M3U8 to M3U

Verified by Adam B.· reviewed by FE Editorial ·updated Jun 30, 2026
QUICK ANSWER
Is it possible to convert M3U8 to M3U?
Yes - M3U8 converts to M3U.

If your playlist contains only ASCII characters, renaming the .m3u8 to .m3u is sufficient. For playlists with accented or non-Latin characters, open the file in Notepad++ and re-save with ANSI encoding before changing the extension.

3 programs
Also to M3U: ZPL · WPL · VPL

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Tested on macOS, Windows & Linux
Last verified Sep 2026

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Why convert M3U8 to M3U?

.m3u8 is M3U saved in UTF-8 encoding. The playlist syntax - #EXTM3U header, #EXTINF lines, and file paths or URLs - is identical in both formats. Some older media players, car stereos, and hardware receivers accept .m3u but not .m3u8, so a simple re-save satisfies that requirement without altering any playlist content.

How to convert M3U8 to M3U

VLC media player FREE

Open the .m3u8 in VLC, go to Media > Save Playlist to File, choose M3U as the format, and save with a .m3u extension.

Notepad++ FREE

Open the .m3u8, go to Encoding > Convert to ANSI, then File > Save As with a .m3u extension.

Programs that convert M3U8

VLC media player
VLC media player for Mac
VLC media player for Linux

About these formats

.M3U8 UTF-8 M3U Playlist / HLS (HTTP Live Streaming) Playlist

An M3U8 file is a plain-text playlist that lists track paths or stream URLs - it holds no audio or video itself. Open it in VLC to play a local playlist or an HLS stream. To save a streamed…

Open .M3U8 details →
.M3U M3U Media Playlist (MP3 URL)

An M3U file is a plain-text playlist that lists the locations of audio or video - it contains no media itself. Open it in VLC to play the listed tracks or IPTV channels, or in any text…

Open .M3U details →

Quality & what to watch

  • Non-ASCII characters (accented letters, Cyrillic, CJK) will appear as garbage or be lost when re-saved as ANSI - the only fix is to rename the referenced files to ASCII-only names first.
  • The playlist structure is unchanged: every #EXTM3U, #EXTINF, and URL line stays exactly the same; only the encoding and extension differ.
  • If the .m3u8 is an HLS streaming manifest (containing #EXT-X-STREAM-INF or segment URLs), the resulting .m3u will not work as a normal track playlist in most players.

Frequently asked questions

Can I just rename the file?
Yes, if all track titles and paths use only basic ASCII; for non-ASCII content, use Notepad++ to re-encode as ANSI first.
Will the converted .m3u work in VLC?
Yes - VLC reads both formats without distinction.
What is the actual difference between M3U8 and M3U?
Only the character encoding: .m3u8 is UTF-8, .m3u is conventionally ASCII/ANSI; the playlist syntax is otherwise identical.
Will the conversion break anything?
Not if all content is ASCII; non-ASCII characters in titles or file paths will be corrupted in the resulting .m3u file.