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M3U8 PLS
File conversion

Convert M3U8 to PLS

Verified by Adam B.· reviewed by FE Editorial ·updated Jun 17, 2026
QUICK ANSWER
Is it possible to convert M3U8 to PLS?
Yes - M3U8 converts to PLS.

Open the .m3u8 in VLC, then go to Media > Save Playlist to File and choose PLS format. This works only for local track playlists; an HLS streaming manifest containing .ts segment URLs cannot be meaningfully converted to PLS.

Also to PLS: WPL · VLC · XSPF

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Tested on macOS, Windows & Linux
Last verified Oct 2026

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Why convert M3U8 to PLS?

.m3u8 and .pls are both plain-text playlist formats listing media file paths or stream URLs. PLS uses an INI-style structure ([playlist], FileN=, TitleN=) from the Winamp/SHOUTcast era. Some hardware players, SHOUTcast servers, and legacy software expect PLS rather than M3U8, making the format change necessary.

How to convert M3U8 to PLS

VLC media player FREE

Open the .m3u8 via Media > Open File, verify the tracks load correctly, then go to Media > Save Playlist to File, select PLS in the format dropdown, and save.

Notepad++ FREE

For short playlists, manually rewrite each entry as FileN=, TitleN=, and LengthN= lines in a new file starting with [playlist] and ending with NumberOfEntries=N and Version=2, then save as .pls.

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 →
.PLS PLS Playlist File

A .pls file is a playlist that points to audio files or internet radio streams - it contains no audio data itself. Open it with VLC, foobar2000, or Winamp; double-clicking usually starts…

Open .PLS details →

Quality & what to watch

  • An HLS manifest (containing #EXT-X-STREAM-INF or #EXT-X-TARGETDURATION) is not a track playlist - VLC will export its .ts segment URLs verbatim into PLS, which is useless in a regular media player.
  • IPTV-specific tags such as tvg-logo, tvg-id, and #EXTGRP are silently dropped; PLS has no equivalent fields for these.
  • File paths, track titles from #EXTINF, and durations map cleanly to FileN=, TitleN=, and LengthN= in PLS.

Frequently asked questions

Can PLS handle streaming URLs?
Yes - both PLS and M3U8 can list stream URLs, but PLS does not support HLS-specific segment manifests.
What if my M3U8 is an HLS manifest from a website?
It cannot be converted to a useful PLS file - the segment URLs inside are only meaningful for an HLS player fetching short clips in sequence.
Is the manual text-editor method reliable?
For short playlists under a dozen tracks it is practical; for longer lists, use VLC to avoid numbering errors.
Will VLC export the track duration?
Yes - VLC writes the duration from #EXTINF into the LengthN= field when saving as PLS.