Add your M3U file
Drop one or more .m3u files onto the converter above, or browse for them. They load into browser memory only — nothing is uploaded, so there is no size-based pricing and no server queue.
M3U to M3U8
Converting a .m3u font to .m3u8 repackages the same glyphs and metrics for a different delivery target. Free, private, and validated — the file never leaves your browser.
Private for supported formats — processed in your browser
Runs on your deviceConvert supported files
Drop M3U files here
Batch files can each use a different output. Nothing uploads for local conversions.
Working inputs include camera RAW, browser-local audio/video, PDF, CBZ/CBR comics, office documents, ebooks, markup, 3D models, structured text, images, and archives.About converting M3U playlist to UTF-8 M3U playlist
Converting a .m3u font to .m3u8 repackages the same glyphs and metrics for a different delivery target. An .m3u file is a playlist: an ordered list of media file paths or URLs, one per line, optionally annotated with #EXTINF lines carrying each track's duration and title. It contains no audio itself — only pointers to it.
An .m3u8 file is a UTF-8 encoded M3U playlist. The extension began as nothing more than an encoding signal, and then became the manifest format for HTTP Live Streaming, where it lists media segments or alternate bitrate renditions rather than songs. For this route the practical draw is encoding is unambiguous, unlike .m3u and the basis of HLS, which is how most video reaches phones and browsers — balanced against one extension covers both trivial playlists and full HLS manifests, which is worth knowing before you commit a large batch.
Why convert M3U to M3U8?
The practical trigger for this conversion is usually a mismatch: with .m3u, unspecified encoding causes mojibake in non-ASCII track names. Switching to .m3u8 buys you encoding is unambiguous, unlike .m3u, which is why it is the better fit for serving adaptive-bitrate video over HTTP to browsers and mobile devices. Because the conversion runs locally, trying it costs nothing but a few seconds of compute on your own machine.
M3U vs M3U8 at a glance
| Aspect | M3U playlist (.m3u) | UTF-8 M3U playlist (.m3u8) |
|---|---|---|
| Format type | Text-based — characters and structure, so there is no visual quality loss | Text-based — characters and structure, so there is no visual quality loss |
| How it stores data | plain lines are media references — relative paths, absolute paths or URLs — in playback order | always UTF-8 — that was the original and only reason the extension exists |
| Strongest at | saving a local playlist from a media player | serving adaptive-bitrate video over HTTP to browsers and mobile devices |
| Weak spot | unspecified encoding causes mojibake in non-ASCII track names | one extension covers both trivial playlists and full HLS manifests |
| Metadata | track references, and durations and titles where #EXTINF lines are present, are preserved. Nothing else exists in the format to carry | segment and rendition references with their durations are preserved. HLS-specific tags such as encryption keys and discontinuity markers are not represented in simpler targets |
Pick M3U8 as the output
Select .m3u8 in the output menu next to each file. The menu only offers targets this engine can genuinely produce, so if M3U8 is selectable, the route is real and validated.
Convert on your device
Press Convert. The font tables are parsed and rewritten locally with fonteditor-core; glyph outlines, hinting, and kerning survive the trip.
Verify and download
Each result is signature-checked before the download unlocks, so a failed encode can never masquerade as a valid M3U8 file. Outputs keep the original filename with the .m3u8 extension.
M3U to M3U8 questions, answered
Will converting M3U to M3U8 lose quality?
There is no visual quality to lose — m3u is text-oriented and m3u8 is text-oriented, so the question is structural fidelity. Text, ordering, and basic structure are preserved; complex layout, embedded objects, and styling beyond the target's model are simplified.
Is it private to convert M3U files here?
Yes — the .m3u file is processed inside your browser tab and never uploaded. The font tables are parsed and rewritten locally with fonteditor-core; glyph outlines, hinting, and kerning survive the trip. Close the tab and the file is gone from memory.
Where will the M3U8 file work?
Native in Safari and on iOS, supported in other browsers through Media Source Extensions, and read by VLC, ffmpeg and every streaming stack. Novus Convert parses it locally and converts to M3U and JSON, which is useful for inspecting a manifest's structure without a player.
Will the M3U8 file be bigger or smaller than my M3U?
It depends on the content: always UTF-8 — that was the original and only reason the extension exists. Convert one representative file first and compare before batch-processing a large set.
What happens to the metadata in my M3U file?
In .m3u, track references, and durations and titles where #EXTINF lines are present, are preserved. Nothing else exists in the format to carry. Re-encoding through the browser pipeline does not carry embedded metadata into the output, which doubles as a privacy scrub — check the exported file if you specifically need tags preserved.
Can I convert M3U8 back to M3U?
Yes — the reverse route exists as a separate tool. Bear in mind that round-tripping .m3u → .m3u8 → .m3u is not a perfect undo when any lossy step is involved; keep your original if fidelity matters.