.m3u Media playlist
Text & source code
| MIME type | application/vnd.apple.mpegurl audio/x-mpegurl |
|---|---|
| Description | Media playlist |
| Category | Text & source code |
| Signature (magic bytes) | 23 45 58 54 4D 33 55 (#EXTM3U) |
| Based on | text/plain |
| Other extensions | .m3u8 |
Frequently asked questions
What is a .m3u file?
The .m3u extension is used for several formats: Media playlist (application/vnd.apple.mpegurl) and Media playlist (audio/x-mpegurl).
How do I open a .m3u file?
With any text editor – Notepad++, Visual Studio Code, or gedit and vim on Linux. The file contains readable text, possibly source code or configuration.
How can you tell a genuine .m3u file?
By the bytes at the start of the file, the signature (magic bytes): 23 45 58 54 4D 33 55 (#EXTM3U). On Linux and macOS, file --mime-type example.m3u checks the real type regardless of the extension.
Which format is .m3u based on?
Technically a .m3u file is a subtype of “Plain text document” (text/plain), so programs for that base format can often read it too.
Which MIME type belongs to .m3u?
The MIME type is application/vnd.apple.mpegurl. In the Apache web server: AddType application/vnd.apple.mpegurl .m3u; in nginx: types { application/vnd.apple.mpegurl m3u; }.