What is the XSPF file format?
.xspf (short for XML Shareable Playlist Format, pronounced "spiff") is a playlist file format developed by the Xiph.Org Foundation. .xspf files don't store actual audio data - only information related to the playlist in the form of XML markup that contains references to the audio files in the playlist.
The .xspf format is in many aspects similar to .M3U and .M3U8 formats. .xspf playlists are, however, more universal when it comes to mobility and compatibility across various computers and multimedia devices: track locations can be either local file paths or full HTTP/HTTPS URLs, so a playlist can point to remote streams as easily as local files. Each <track> entry inside the <trackList> element can also carry structured metadata - title, creator (artist), album, annotation, and duration - rather than just a bare file path.
Because the .xspf file structure is based on the XML text format, it can be easily viewed and edited using any text editor. Users can also manually search the playlist file for the referenced audio file locations. A valid .xspf file begins with the standard XML declaration followed by a <playlist version="1"> root element carrying the namespace xmlns="http://xspf.org/ns/0/".
Security & safety
RISK: LOWThe .xspf file itself is harmless plain-text XML. The only practical caution: entries are arbitrary file paths/URLs, so a playlist from an unknown source could point a player at unexpected remote content - open an unfamiliar .xspf in a text editor to see where it points before loading it. Keep your media player updated.
Format details
in a nutshellPrograms that open XSPF files
Windows4 apps
VLC media player
Open-source Media > Open File > select the .xspf to load and play the listed tracks. VLC also SAVES playlists as XSPF. 
Foobar2000
Free Open/import the .xspf (XSPF playlist support) to play the listed audio in a lightweight player. 
Notepad / VS Code
Open-source Open the .xspf as XML text to read, reorder or fix the <location> paths inside it. 
macOS2 apps
VLC media player
Open-source Open the .xspf to play the listed tracks; the standard cross-platform choice. 
Linux2 apps
VLC media player
Open-source 'vlc playlist.xspf' to play the listed entries; in every distro repository. 
Android1 app
Technical details
deep spec| File category | XML-based playlist (pointer file - contains no media data) |
| MIME type | application/xspf+xml |
| Developer | Xiph.Org Foundation (XSPF working group) |
| Pronunciation | "spiff" (official, per the specification) |
| XML namespace | http://xspf.org/ns/0/ |
| Root element | <playlist version="1"> with xmlns namespace attribute |
| Track structure | <trackList> → <track> → <location> (one element per media item) |
| Location field | <location> accepts any URI: local file:// paths or remote http:// / https:// URLs |
| Per-track metadata | title, creator (artist), album, annotation, image, duration, identifier - all optional |
| Character encoding | UTF-8 (inherits from XML; encoding may be declared in the XML prolog) |
| File signature | No binary magic bytes; identified by XML declaration and xmlns="http://xspf.org/ns/0/" in root |
| Attribution element | Optional <attribution> block records provenance of tracks imported from another playlist |
| Cross-machine portability | Remote URL locations are fully portable; relative file:// paths depend on a consistent directory layout |
| Released | XSPF 1.0, 2006 |
| Open standard | Yes · royalty-free |
| Specification | www.xspf.org |
XSPF conversions
Community Q&A
asked by usersNo questions yet - be the first to ask about XSPF files.
