Type: Audio Files
Acronym: Media Playlist File
Opens With: VideoLAN VLC media player, Microsoft Windows Media Player, RealNetworks RealPlayer, Apple iTunes
Short for "MP3 URL" or "Moving Picture Experts Group Audio Layer 3 Uniform Resource Locator;" contains a playlist of MP3s and other audio or video files; lists the locations of media files in a plain text format; initially used by Winamp and is now supported by several other media players.
M3U playlists are typically used for audio playlists, but some may also include references to video files. M3U files contains references to media files, but not the actual files themselves.