HOW TO CREATE AN M3U FILE

HOW TO CREATE AN M3U FILE

Are you looking at creating an M3U playlist file using VLC media player in 2023, you have come to the right place. VLC media player is a powerful multimedia player that supports various audio and video formats, and it is also capable of creating M3U playlist files. In this article, we will guide you through the process of creating an M3U playlist file using VLC media player in 2023.

 

Step 1: Download and Install VLC Media Player

The first step is to download VLC media player from the official website and install it on your computer. VLC media player is available for Windows, Mac, and Linux, and it is completely free to use. After downloading the installer file, follow the on-screen instructions to install VLC media player on your computer.

Step 2: Add Audio Files or Folder

Once you have installed VLC media player, open the application and right-click on the Playlist window. Choose the “Add File…” or “Add Folder…” option to load the audio files or a folder that you want to include in your M3U playlist file.

Step 3: Shift the Order

After adding the audio files or folder, you can rearrange them in the desired order by dragging them up or down the list. This step is essential if you want to play the audio files in a specific order.

Step 4: Create M3U Playlist

Once you have arranged the audio files in the desired order, press Ctrl + Y to create an M3U playlist. This step will generate an M3U playlist file that contains the references to the audio files you have added to the playlist.

Step 5: Save the M3U Playlist

Choose a location to save the M3U playlist file, rename the file if needed, and select the file type as M3U playlist. Finally, click the “Save” button to save the file. The default output path is My Music Playlist.

How to Open and View an M3U File using a Text Editor

In case you want to view the contents of an M3U file or modify the order of the audio files, you can use a text editor like Notepad, Notepad++, or Sublime Text to open and edit the M3U playlist file.

Step 1: Open the M3U File in a Text Editor

To view the contents of an M3U file, you can open it in a text editor of your choice. Right-click on the M3U playlist file and choose “Open With” and select the text editor you want to use. Alternatively, you can open the text editor and choose “File” and then “Open” to select the M3U playlist file.

Step 2: Save the M3U File

If you want to save the M3U file in a text-based format like TXT or HTML, you can use the “Save As” option to save the file with the desired extension. This step is useful if you want to share the M3U playlist file with someone who doesn’t have VLC media player installed.

Step 3: Copy the Audio Files

In case you want to gather all the audio files that an M3U file is referencing, you can copy them to a folder by using the “Copy to folder” option in VLC media player. This step is useful if you want to play the audio files on another device or media player.

 

M3U VS M3U8 FILES

 

M3U files, originally developed for use with the Winamp media player in the 1990s, are used for playlists containing audio files. These files are simple text files that contain a list of file locations, and can be easily opened and edited in any text editor. M3U files are still widely used today in various media players.

On the other hand, M3U8 files are used for playlists containing video files and were developed for use with Apple’s HTTP Live Streaming (HLS) protocol. These files are essentially the same as M3U files, but they use UTF-8 encoding, a standard character encoding that supports a wider range of characters and languages than M3U files. M3U8 files are more complex than M3U files and can contain information about multiple video streams at different bitrates, as well as information about subtitles, closed captions, and other metadata.

Converting an M3U or M3U8 file to a different playlist format is relatively simple. To convert an M3U8 file to a different playlist format, such as M3U, XSPF, or HTML, one can use media players such as VLC or iTunes. To convert an M3U file, one can open the file in a text editor and then save it to TXT, HTML, or another text-based format, or rename the extension to .TXT and then open it with a text editor.