How to make your own M3U list with your videos

5 min read

An M3U list is a text file with video addresses, one after another, plus a few details for each one: its name, its image and the group it belongs to. You don’t need to code or install anything: with a text editor and your videos reachable at a web address, you can have your own catalog and open it on your phone, tablet or TV. In this guide you’ll see the format line by line, where to host the list and how to add it to Whatplay.

The bare minimum: #EXTM3U and an address

The simplest list has a header and one address per line:

#EXTM3U
http://192.168.1.20:8000/vacaciones/playa.mp4
http://192.168.1.20:8000/vacaciones/montana.mp4

The first line, #EXTM3U, says it’s an “extended” M3U, the kind that can hold details for each video. Whatplay also opens lists without it, but it’s worth always including, because other players require it. With no other details, each video is named after its file.

Each video’s name and details: #EXTINF

Before each address you can add an #EXTINF line with its details. It has three parts: the duration, the attributes and, after the first comma, the name you’ll see on screen:

#EXTM3U
#EXTINF:-1 tvg-logo="https://example.com/img/playa.jpg" group-title="Vacaciones 2025",La playa de Cádiz
https://example.com/videos/playa.mp4
#EXTINF:-1 tvg-logo="https://example.com/img/cumple.jpg" group-title="Familia",Cumpleaños de Lucía
https://example.com/videos/cumple-lucia.mp4

The duration is in seconds. -1 means “unknown” or “never ends”, and it’s the usual choice: the player works it out when it opens the video.
tvg-logo is the address of an image (JPG or PNG) used as the cover. A light image, a few hundred pixels wide, works best, so the list loads quickly.
group-title is the group. In Whatplay, each group is a folder or a filter, depending on what you choose in Settings › “List groups”. If a video has no group, it stays in the previous one’s; and if they’re all in the same group, the list shows without folders.
tvg-id is the identifier that links a channel to its XMLTV TV guide. You don’t need it for your videos, but if you ever add a broadcast with a schedule, it’s the detail that counts.

Put attribute values in double quotes and the name at the end, after the comma. The name can contain commas with no problem.

More things Whatplay understands

radio="true" in the #EXTINF marks something that’s audio only, like a podcast or a radio station.
url-tvg="…" in the #EXTM3U line points to the TV guide for the whole list. Whatplay recognizes it and offers to import it into the Guide.
#EXTGRP:Name is another way to set the group, on a separate line.

How to write and save it

Open a plain-text editor: Notepad on Windows, TextEdit on Mac in plain-text mode, or any code editor. No word processors, which add formatting.
Write the header and, for each video, its #EXTINF and its address.
Save it with the .m3u extension and UTF-8 encoding, so accented letters and other special characters display properly.
Check that each address opens the video in a browser. If a file name has spaces, they appear in the address as %20; better still, rename the files using hyphens.

Where to host the list and the videos

The list only stores addresses: the videos have to be somewhere the device you watch on can reach. There are three common options:

Your own server or web hosting. Upload the videos and the list to a public folder and use https:// addresses. It’s the most convenient option if you also want to watch them away from home. Keep an eye on the traffic your plan allows: video uses a lot.
A folder shared over HTTP at home. A computer or a NAS serves a folder over your home network and the list points to its IP, like http://192.168.1.20:8000/…. It only works on your Wi-Fi. You’ll find the steps in how to watch videos from your computer or a NAS.
A direct link from your cloud storage. Many storage services give you a sharing link that opens a preview page, not the file. For a list you need the direct download link: the one that starts downloading or playing the file when you open it in a browser. If the service doesn’t offer one, that cloud won’t work for this.

The list itself can live wherever you like: next to the videos, on another server or on the phone itself. What matters is that the addresses inside it work from the device that opens it.

Adding it to Whatplay

Go to Lists and tap “Add list”.
Choose how: “URL” if the list is on the internet or on your network, “File” if it’s on your device, “Clipboard” to paste a link you’ve copied, or “QR code” to scan it with the camera.
With a URL, leave “Sync automatically” on: Whatplay downloads the list again when you open the app if more than an hour has passed. That way, simply editing the file on the server is enough for the changes to reach all your devices.
Tap “Import list”. It’ll appear in Lists with its groups and images.

To download a list, Whatplay only accepts http:// or https:// addresses. A list added as a file doesn’t update itself: if you change it, import it again. There’s a summary in the help: How do I add a list?

No typing: make it in the app

If you don’t feel like editing text, in the Favorites tab you can create a list with “New list” and fill it with “Add” › “Channel from URL”, with folders and images. Whatplay saves it in W3U, its own list format, and you can share it. If you’re not sure which to use, see M3U, M3U8 and W3U: what each one is.

Common mistakes

“The list has no channels”: no line has an address it recognizes. Check that they start with http:// or https://.
Names with strange symbols: the file isn’t saved in UTF-8.
A video won’t open: try its address on its own in the browser. If it fails there too, the problem is the server or the link, not the list.
Everything ends up in a single folder: the first video in each group is missing group-title.
Changes don’t come through: if you added it as a file, import it again; if you added it by URL, tap “Refresh” in the list’s menu.