What is a playlist to M3U exporter?
A playlist to M3U exporter turns a YouTube playlist into an M3U file, the classic playlist format that media players such as VLC understand. The file lists each video's YouTube link with its title and length, in order.
It contains links only, not video or audio, so a player that can open YouTube links streams each video from YouTube in turn, and others can still show the list with titles and lengths. It's handy for queuing a lecture series or a music playlist in a desktop player. Leaving out deleted and private videos first stops the player from stalling on entries that no longer play.
How to export a YouTube playlist to M3U
1.Paste the playlist link
Paste the link of the music or lecture playlist you want to queue in a player, and press Export.
2.M3U is already ticked
The M3U file always lists each video's title, channel, length and link. Tick Leave out deleted and private videos so the player doesn't stop on them.
3.Download
Press Download and open the .m3u file in a player such as VLC.
Example: the lines for one video
A 4-minute-5-second video called Live Session by a channel called Studio Band becomes:
- Header
- #EXTM3U
- Info line
- #EXTINF:245,Studio Band - Live Session
- Link line
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID
245 is the length in seconds (4 × 60 + 5), which players use to show the running time before they load anything.
What the M3U file holds
It's an extended M3U playlist: an #EXTM3U header, a #PLAYLIST line with the playlist name, then for each video an #EXTINF line with its length in seconds and Channel - Title, followed by its YouTube link.
The file holds links, not video or audio, so the player streams each video from YouTube. Players that can open YouTube links, like VLC, play them in order; others can still show the list with titles and lengths.
Frequently asked questions
Does this download the videos or music?
No. The file contains YouTube links only. It's a playlist, not a copy of the media.
Will VLC play it?
VLC can open YouTube links through its built-in YouTube script, so it plays the videos in order. When YouTube changes its site that script can stop working until VLC updates it.
What's the difference between M3U and M3U8?
The content is the same. The .m3u8 extension tells players the file is UTF-8, which some need to show non-English titles correctly.
What does #EXTINF:-1 mean in the file?
It marks an entry with no known length, which is what deleted and private videos get. Leave them out before exporting and every line has a real length.
Export a YouTube playlist to other formats
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