What is the WPL file format?
.wpl is a text file that stores a Windows Media Player playlist, developed by Microsoft. WPL files do not store any actual audio or video data - only references to those media resources. Moving, deleting, or renaming a referenced file can render the playlist unable to locate that entry correctly. A .wpl playlist can hold both audio and video file entries.
.wpl files store data in XML format, specifically based on SMIL (Synchronized Multimedia Integration Language). Every file begins with a <?wpl version="1.0"?> processing instruction, followed by a <smil> root element. The <head> section carries the playlist title and metadata; the <body><seq> section lists <media src="..."> entries pointing to the actual media files. The official MIME type is application/vnd.ms-wpl.
Uses of playlist files
Files listed in the playlist file may not be stored locally - such entries are typically used for storing internet radio streams. Entries in .wpl files can use absolute or relative directory paths. Relative paths are more reliable, as placing the playlist alongside the folder it refers to makes the entries independent of the folder's location on disk. Because a .wpl file holds only path references, a playlist moved to a different PC becomes unusable unless the referenced files exist at the same paths.
Some other popular playlist formats are:
Security & safety
RISK: LOWWPL is harmless plain-text XML - it cannot execute code. The only real concerns: (1) the file paths inside may reveal a user's folder structure or username; and (2) a WPL could reference remote URLs that stream from the internet, so inspect the <media src> entries in a text editor if the source is untrusted. The list itself carries no malware.
Format details
in a nutshellPrograms that open WPL files
Windows5 apps
VLC media player
Open-source Media → Open File and select the WPL; VLC plays the referenced tracks and can save the list to M3U/XSPF. 
Windows Media Player (Legacy)
Built-in Double-click the WPL; WMP loads the list and plays the referenced files if they exist at their saved paths.
Media Player (Windows 11 app)
Built-in Open the WPL in the modern Media Player app, the successor to WMP on Windows 11.
Any text editor (Notepad++)
Built-in Open as text to read/edit the track paths - WPL is human-readable XML. 
macOS1 app
VLC media player
Open-source Open the WPL in VLC; works only if the referenced media files are present on the Mac at the listed paths. 
Linux1 app
VLC media player
Open-source Open the WPL; convert to M3U via Media → Save Playlist if you need a portable list. Technical details
deep spec| Developer | Microsoft |
| MIME type | application/vnd.ms-wpl |
| Character encoding | UTF-8 plain text |
| XML structure | SMIL (Synchronized Multimedia Integration Language) dialect; root element is <smil> |
| Document layout | <head> holds playlist title and metadata; <body><seq> lists <media src="…"> track entries |
| Version declaration | <?wpl version="1.0"?> processing instruction written at the top of each file |
| Generator attribute | <head> contains a generator attribute recording the Windows Media Player build number that created the file |
| Path types | Absolute and relative local paths; HTTP/HTTPS URLs supported for internet radio streams |
| Content scope | References to both audio and video files in a single playlist |
| Binary signature | None - no fixed magic bytes; recognized by the <?wpl version= processing instruction or <smil> root tag |
| Typical file size | 1 KB - 100 KB (text only; scales with the number of media entries) |
| Entry limit | No format-defined maximum; bounded in practice by player performance |
| Compression | None (raw XML text) |
| Native platform | Windows only; third-party players such as VLC provide cross-platform support |
| Released | 2002 (Windows Media Player 9 Series) |
| Latest version | WPL as shipped with Windows Media Player 12 (Windows 7-11); format unchanged since WMP 9 |
| Specification | learn.microsoft.com |
WPL conversions
Community Q&A
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