--- title: "User Guide — M3U Editor" description: "Complete guide to using all M3U Editor tools: editor, Xtream, TMDB, EPG, sync and more." url: https://m3utify.com/en/guide language: en last_modified: 2026-10-20 --- # User Guide Everything you need to master M3U Editor and its advanced tools. ## Quick Start Get started in under 2 minutes Welcome to **M3U Editor**! This platform lets you manage your IPTV playlists professionally. Here is an overview of the steps to get started quickly. 1 ### Import Upload your M3U file or enter a playlist URL 2 ### Edit Filter, organize and customize your channels 3 ### Export Download as M3U, JSON, CSV or use via Xtream You are logged in — all advanced features are unlocked: saved playlists, Xtream Codes, TMDB, EPG and automatic synchronization. ### Tool Overview M3U Editor — Upload, filter, link verification and playlist export. Dashboard — Centralized view of all your activity and statistics. Xtream Codes — Expose your playlist via the Xtream API for IPTV players. TMDB — Enrich your VOD with posters, descriptions and IMDB ratings. EPG — Add a TV program guide to your live channels. Auto-Sync — Scheduled automatic synchronization of your M3U sources. ## M3U Editor Import, filter, verify and export your playlists ### 1\. Import a playlist 1 #### Open the editor Click Editor in the navigation or go to /editor. 2 #### Choose your import method Two options available: drag and drop your .m3u or .m3u8 file into the drop zone, or paste a remote playlist URL directly. 3 #### Wait for processing The file is parsed in real time. A progress bar shows the progress. Large playlists (100,000+ channels) are processed via dedicated workers. Maximum size: 200 MB for logged-in users. Remote files are downloaded server-side, with no size limit imposed by your browser. * * * ### 2\. Filter and organize 1 #### Select groups In the left panel, check the groups (categories) you want to keep. Use Select all / Deselect all to go faster. 2 #### Search channels Use the search bar to filter channels by name in real time. The search is case-insensitive. 3 #### Edit a channel Click the edit icon (pencil) on a channel to change its name, logo or group. Changes are preserved on export. 4 #### Check links Click Check links to test streaming URLs. Dead channels are marked in red, active ones in green. Link checking sends lightweight HEAD requests to each URL. For 1,000 channels, this takes about 30–60 seconds depending on your connection. * * * ### 3\. Export your playlist M3U Standard format, compatible with all IPTV players JSON For integration in your own scripts or applications CSV For analysis in Excel, Google Sheets, etc. XSPF XML playlist format (VLC, etc.) Enigma2 For Linux satellite receivers (DreamBox, VU+, etc.) You can also save your filtered playlist to your account via the “Save” button to access it from any device. * * * ### 4\. Merge multiple playlists 1 #### Open the merger In the editor, click the Merge tab. You can merge up to 5 M3U files simultaneously. 2 #### Automatic deduplication Duplicates are detected by streaming URL. Configure the strategy: keep the first, the last, or ask. ## Dashboard Your account control center [Dashboard](https://m3utify.com/en/dashboard) Global Statistics Total number of channels, groups, saved playlists and favorites. Recent Activity History of latest operations: uploads, syncs, exports. Sync Status Next scheduled sync, last run, success rate. Quick Access Direct buttons to all main features. Check the Dashboard after each automatic sync to verify everything went smoothly. ## Xtream Codes Panel Expose your playlist via the standard Xtream API The Xtream Codes API lets you use your M3U playlist in any compatible IPTV player (TiviMate, Smarters Pro, IPTV Smarters, Perfect Player, etc.) without manually re-importing the file. ### Configure your credentials 1 #### Go to the Xtream panel Visit Xtream Panel in your member area. 2 #### Generate your credentials Click Create my credentials. A unique username and password are automatically generated. 3 #### Note the server URL The server URL is shown in the panel. This is the address you will enter in your IPTV player. ### Configure your IPTV player Enter these details in your player: Server : `https://m3utify.com` Username : `votre_username` Password : `votre_password` ### Direct M3U URL If your player accepts an M3U URL, use this format: https://m3utify.com/get.php?username=USER&password=PASS&type=m3u\_plus&output=ts Available parameters: Parameter Values Description `type` `m3u_plus` / `m3u` M3U format (with or without tvg metadata) `output` `ts` / `m3u8` Stream URL extension Never share your Xtream credentials. If you think they are compromised, regenerate your password from the Xtream panel. ### Compatible players TiviMate Smarters Pro IPTV Smarters Perfect Player GSE Smart IPTV Kodi (IPTV Simple PVR) VLC (via get.php) OTT Navigator ## TMDB Enrichment Add posters, descriptions and ratings to your VOD TMDB enrichment automatically fetches metadata for your VOD channels (movies, series) from The Movie Database: poster, synopsis, rating, cast, trailer, etc. A TMDB API token is required. Get it for free at themoviedb.org (free account, Settings → API section). ### Configure TMDB 1 #### Get your TMDB API key Create an account at themoviedb.org, go to Settings → API → Create → Application. Copy the API Key (v3 auth). 2 #### Enter the key in your profile In your profile, enter the TMDB key and enable enrichment. 3 #### Start enrichment Go to TMDB Manager and click Enrich my VOD. Processing happens in the background (20 channels per batch with a 10s delay to respect TMDB quotas). TMDB results are cached locally for 24h. You can restart enrichment at any time — only channels without metadata will be reprocessed. ### Retrieved data High-resolution poster (500px) Background image (backdrop) Synopsis / Description IMDB rating and vote count Cast (5 main actors) Director Genres Release date Runtime (movies) YouTube trailer link ## TV Guide — EPG Add a program guide to your live channels EPG (Electronic Program Guide) displays the TV schedule for your channels in compatible IPTV players. The system supports the standard XMLTV format. ### Add an EPG source 1 #### Go to EPG Manager Visit EPG Manager. 2 #### Add an XMLTV source Click + Add a source, enter a name and the URL of your EPG file in .xml or .xml.gz format. 3 #### Start synchronization Click Synchronize. Gzip files are decompressed automatically. Large EPG files (500MB+) are processed via a memory-optimized SAX parser. 4 #### Map channels Use automatic matching (fuzzy matching by channel name) or create manual mappings to link your M3U channels to EPG channels. Automatic matching uses Levenshtein distance to find matches. You can adjust the similarity threshold (0.7 by default). ### Access EPG via Xtream EPG is automatically exposed via the XMLTV endpoint for your players: https://m3utify.com/xmltv.php?username=USER&password=PASS If your channels don't have EPG yet, use Generate fake EPG to create 4-hour blocks over 7 days — perfect for testing your player. ## Automatic Synchronization Keep your playlist up to date automatically Automatic sync regularly downloads your M3U source and updates your playlist intelligently, preserving your customizations (names, logos, custom groups). ### Create a sync configuration 1 #### Go to Sync Manager Visit Auto-Sync. 2 #### Configure the source Enter your source M3U playlist URL and set the frequency via a cron expression. 3 #### Set merge options Choose what sync should preserve during update: custom names, logos, groups, and whether deleted channels should be removed. 4 #### Enable webhook (optional) Enter a webhook URL to be notified after each sync (success and/or error). ### Cron expressions Expression Meaning `0 * * * *` Every hour `0 */6 * * *` Every 6 hours `0 0 * * *` Every day at midnight `0 0 * * 1` Every Monday at midnight `0 8,20 * * *` At 8am and 8pm every day On network error, the system retries 3 times with exponential backoff (2s then 4s) before marking the sync as failed. ### Smart merge Preserve custom names Names you have manually edited are not overwritten. Preserve logos Your custom logos are kept even if the provider changes theirs. Preserve groups Your custom groups survive the update. Auto-assign New channels are added to a configurable group. ## My Playlists Save and share your playlists 1 #### Save a playlist After filtering your channels in the editor, click Save playlist. Give it a name, description and choose if it is public or private. 2 #### Access your playlists Go to My Playlists to list, download or share your playlists. 3 #### Share a playlist Each public playlist has a permanent share link (/list/\[id\]) accessible without login. 4 #### Download Each playlist can be downloaded as M3U, JSON, CSV or XSPF from the playlist dashboard. Limit: 10 saved playlists per account. Playlists are linked to your Auto-Sync account for automatic content updates. ## Favorites Mark and find your favorite channels 1 #### Add a favorite In the editor, click the ♥ icon next to a channel to add it to your favorites. The action is immediate and synced with your account. 2 #### Manage your favorites Go to Favorites to see all your favorite channels. 3 #### Export your favorites Export your favorites list as M3U or JSON for use in other tools. Limit: 100 favorites per account. Use favorites to quickly build a personalized playlist of your best channels. ## Parental Control Protect certain channel groups with a PIN Parental control lets you lock channel groups with a 4-digit PIN. Locked groups are hidden or inaccessible without the PIN. 1 #### Create a parental PIN Go to Parental Control and click Set PIN. Enter a 4-digit code twice to confirm. 2 #### Lock groups Once the PIN is set, select the groups to lock from the list. Click the lock icon next to the group. 3 #### Temporarily unlock To access a locked group, click it and enter your PIN. The group remains accessible during the session. If you forget your PIN, you can reset it from this page by clicking Remove PIN. All groups will then be unlocked. ## Secure Sharing Share your playlists with expiration and password Secure sharing lets you create share links for your playlists with advanced options: automatic expiration, view limit and password protection. 1 #### Create a share link Go to Secure Sharing and click + New link. Select the playlist to share. 2 #### Configure options You can set: an expiration date, a maximum number of views, a protection password, and a label to identify the link. 3 #### Share the QR code Each link automatically generates a QR code you can print or send. The recipient can scan the QR code to access the playlist directly. Expired links or those that have reached their view limit return a 403 error. You can delete them or create new ones from the shares dashboard. Expiration The link self-destructs at the chosen date View limit Disable after N downloads Password Protect access with a secret ## Channel Health Check your channel availability in real time The Channel Health dashboard tests the availability of each stream by sending a HEAD request. Results are classified by status: alive, dead, timeout or unknown. 1 #### Run a check Go to Channel Health and click Check all channels. The test runs in the background (5 channels simultaneously). 2 #### View results Filter by status (Alive / Dead / Timeout) and sort by response time to quickly identify problematic streams. The test sends a HEAD request with an 8-second timeout. An HTTP 2xx or 3xx code indicates a live stream. Streams that don't respond within 8s are marked "Timeout". 🟢 Alive HTTP 2xx/3xx, active stream 🔴 Dead HTTP 4xx/5xx or connection refused 🟡 Timeout No response in 8 seconds ⚪ Unknown Not yet tested ## Multi-profiles One account, multiple profiles per family member Profiles let you create separate spaces for each family member, with different allowed/blocked channels and an optional child mode. 1 #### Create a profile Go to Multi-profiles, click + New profile. Choose an emoji, color and name. 2 #### Configure child mode Enable Child mode to restrict access to explicitly allowed groups. Add an optional profile PIN to prevent modifications. 3 #### Set allowed/blocked groups For each profile, define which groups are accessible. Leave empty to allow all, or list specific groups. The default profile is used when no profile is selected. It cannot be deleted. ## VOD Library Browse your movies and series Netflix-style The VOD library displays all your on-demand content (movies and series) enriched with TMDB metadata: posters, descriptions, ratings and genres. 1 #### Access the library Go to VOD Library. Your last imported playlist is loaded automatically. 2 #### Filter and search Use the Movies/Series tabs, genre chips and search bar to quickly find a title. Sort by rating, year or alphabetical order. 3 #### Play content Hover over a card and click Play to open the built-in player. The player supports HLS (.m3u8) and direct MP4 streams. For posters and descriptions to show, first enrich your VOD via TMDB Manager. ## Advanced Export QR code, Kodi, TiviMate and more In addition to the standard M3U export from the editor, the advanced export center offers formats optimized for specific applications. QR Code Encode your playlist URL as a QR code — perfect for sharing to a TV or tablet without typing. Kodi M3U M3U format with built-in #EXTVLCOPT options for optimized buffering in Kodi with the IPTV Simple PVR addon. TiviMate M3U format with x-tvg-url header optimized for direct import into TiviMate Companion. Standard M3U Classic M3U export compatible with all IPTV players (VLC, MX Player, IPTV Smarters, etc.). To export, first select a playlist from the dropdown, then choose the desired format. Kodi/TiviMate exports are generated server-side. ## Keyboard Shortcuts Navigate faster with the keyboard ### Navigation Show shortcuts help ? Go to Dashboard GD Go to editor GE My Playlists GP My Favorites GF ### Editor Select all CtrlA Deselect all CtrlD Search a channel CtrlF Save playlist CtrlS Export CtrlE Press ? at any time to display the full list of available shortcuts in a modal. ? ## Ready to start? All your tools are available. Start by importing your first M3U playlist. [Open editor](https://m3utify.com/en/editor)[My Dashboard](https://m3utify.com/en/dashboard)