Add your M3U8 file
Drop one or more .m3u8 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.
M3U8 to M3U
Converting a .m3u8 font to .m3u 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 M3U8 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 UTF-8 M3U playlist to M3U playlist
Converting a .m3u8 font to .m3u repackages the same glyphs and metrics for a different delivery target. 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.
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. For this route the practical draw is trivially simple — readable and editable in any text editor and supported by effectively every media player ever written — balanced against unspecified encoding causes mojibake in non-ASCII track names, which is worth knowing before you commit a large batch.
Why convert M3U8 to M3U?
The practical trigger for this conversion is usually a mismatch: with .m3u8, one extension covers both trivial playlists and full HLS manifests. Switching to .m3u buys you trivially simple — readable and editable in any text editor, which is why it is the better fit for saving a local playlist from a media player. Because the conversion runs locally, trying it costs nothing but a few seconds of compute on your own machine.
M3U8 vs M3U at a glance
| Aspect | UTF-8 M3U playlist (.m3u8) | M3U playlist (.m3u) |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | always UTF-8 — that was the original and only reason the extension exists | plain lines are media references — relative paths, absolute paths or URLs — in playback order |
| Strongest at | serving adaptive-bitrate video over HTTP to browsers and mobile devices | saving a local playlist from a media player |
| Weak spot | one extension covers both trivial playlists and full HLS manifests | unspecified encoding causes mojibake in non-ASCII track names |
| Metadata | 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 | track references, and durations and titles where #EXTINF lines are present, are preserved. Nothing else exists in the format to carry |
Pick M3U as the output
Select .m3u in the output menu next to each file. The menu only offers targets this engine can genuinely produce, so if M3U 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 M3U file. Outputs keep the original filename with the .m3u extension.
M3U8 to M3U questions, answered
Will converting M3U8 to M3U lose quality?
There is no visual quality to lose — m3u8 is text-oriented and m3u 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 M3U8 files here?
Yes — the .m3u8 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 M3U file work?
Read by VLC, foobar2000, iTunes, Winamp and essentially every player and car stereo. The encoding ambiguity is the practical problem, not support. Novus Convert parses it locally and converts to M3U8 and JSON, which is the reliable way to force UTF-8 onto a legacy playlist.
Will the M3U file be bigger or smaller than my M3U8?
It depends on the content: plain lines are media references — relative paths, absolute paths or URLs — in playback order. Convert one representative file first and compare before batch-processing a large set.
What happens to the metadata in my M3U8 file?
In .m3u8, 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. 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 M3U back to M3U8?
Yes — the reverse route exists as a separate tool. Bear in mind that round-tripping .m3u8 → .m3u → .m3u8 is not a perfect undo when any lossy step is involved; keep your original if fidelity matters.