M3U Types

Chief M3U Description

.M3U

File Ext:	.m3u
Category:	Media Playlist File

The M3U file is a media playlist file supported by many media players such as VLC and Windows Media Player. It contains a playlist of MP3s and other audio or video files and lists the locations of media files in a plain text format. The M3U was originally implemented in Winamp. The common use of the M3U file format is creating a playlist file that contains a single entry pointing to a stream on the Internet. The created file affords easy access to that stream and can be used for things like downloading from the internet or for emailing

Created by:	Nullsoft
Group:	Audio Files
Subkey:	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.m3u

Software Programs That Open The Media Playlist File:

Microsoft Windows Media Player by Microsoft Corporation

	Windows
	Windows Phone

Mac

Apple iTunes by Apple

Windows

	Mac
	iOS

Linux

Clementine by Open Source

Windows

Mac

Linux

Nullsoft Winamp by Nullsoft

Windows

Mac

Android

XMMS by Open Source

Mac

Linux

Foobar2000 by Piotr Pawlowski

Windows

iOS

Android

Songbird by POTI

Windows

	Mac
	iOS

Android

Linux

Solaris

Media Player Classic by Open Source

Windows

Optional Offer for FileViewPro by Solvusoft | EULA | Privacy Policy | Terms | Uninstall

Sources of M3U Problems

Frequent M3U Opening Issues

Microsoft Windows Media Player is Not Installed

When trying to open your M3U file, you get the error "Can't Open M3U File Type". If so, it typically means that you don't have Microsoft Windows Media Player installed for %%os%%. Your operating system cannot associate your M3U with Microsoft Windows Media Player, so double-clicking the file won't work.

Tip: When another M3U application is installed, you can choose to open it by selecting "Show Apps" and using that program.

Microsoft Windows Media Player Requires Update

It is possible that your version of Microsoft Windows Media Player isn't able to open your Media Playlist File file due to incompatibility. If you do not have the proper version Microsoft Windows Media Player (or any of the other programs listed above), you may need to try downloading a different version of it, or one of the other software applications listed above. This issue mainly occurs when your Media Playlist File file was created by a newer version of Microsoft Windows Media Player than you have on your PC.

Tip: Sometimes you can get a clue about the version of M3U file you have by right clicking on the file, then clicking on "Properties" (Windows) or "Get Info" (Mac OSX).

Regardless, most of the M3U file opening problems relate to not having the right version of Microsoft Windows Media Player installed.

More Causes of Problems Opening M3Us

Errors opening Media Playlist File files can still occur even with the latest Microsoft Windows Media Player software installed on your computer. If you're still experiencing problems opening M3U files, there could be other computer problems. Other contributing causes:

• Invalid M3U file references in the Windows Registry (the "phonebook" of the Windows Operating System)
• Accidental deletion of the description of the M3U file in the Windows registry
• Invalid installation of a M3U-associated program (eg. Microsoft Windows Media Player)
• M3U file corruption
• The M3U is infected with a virus
• Device drivers for M3U-related hardware are out-of-date
• Windows cannot load your Media Playlist File file due to insufficient resources (eg. RAM)