What Is an MPLS File?

Your MPLS file could be a Blu-ray playlist or a Mathcad font file

By
Tim Fisher
Photo of Tim Fisher, Lifewire GM and Writer
Tim Fisher
Senior Vice President & Group General Manager, Tech & Sustainability
  • Emporia State University
Tim Fisher has more than 30 years' of professional technology experience. He's been writing about tech for more than two decades and serves as the SVP and General Manager of Lifewire.
lifewire's editorial guidelines
Updated on May 8, 2023

What to Know

  • Blu-ray playlists and Mathcad fonts both use the MPLS file extension.
  • Open a playlist file with VLC, or use Mathcad if you have a font file.

This article explains two formats that use the MPLS file extension, including how to open both types and how to convert from that format to a different one.

What Is an MPLS File?

A file with the MPLS file extension could be a Blu-ray playlist. They're similar to MPL files and are typically stored with a file name consisting of five digits, like xxxxx.mpls, in the \bdmv\playlist\ directory on the disc.

The Mathcad engineering math software might use this same file extension, but for font files.

MPLS files in Windows 10 that open with VLC

MPLS also stands for the Multiprotocol Label Switching routing technique used in telecom networks, but that has nothing to do with any of the MPLS files you might be dealing with.

How to Open an MPLS File

If your MPLS file is a Blu-ray playlist, then any Blu-ray player should be able to play the files listed within the file. Otherwise, you can try a program like VLC, Media Player Classic Home Cinema (MPC-HC), JRiver Media Center, or CyberLink PowerDVD.

BDInfo is a portable program (it doesn't need to be installed) that can open MPLS files, too. This program can use the file to see how long the video files are and which specific videos the MPLS file references.

Mathcad seems the likely program to open an MPLS font file, but it's unclear if it's actually openable by the program itself or if the software just uses these files automatically when they're stored in a specific folder. Let us know if you know either way for sure.

If those formats don't seem to relate to the MPLS file you have, it's possible that you have one that's completely different and therefore can't be opened in any of these programs. If so, try viewing it as a text file with a text editor program. You might find some text at the very beginning or end of the file that indicates what format it's in, which can help you find a suitable application for opening or editing it.

How to Convert an MPLS File

If you have a Blu-ray playlist, remember that it's just a playlist, not an actual video file. This means you can't convert from MPLS to MKV, MP4, or any other video file format. That said, you can, of course, convert actual video files from one format to another with a free video file converter. Use the BDInfo tool mentioned above to see where the real videos are.

The same is true for subtitle formats like SRT. MPLS to SRT isn't a proper conversion method because the MPLS file is just a list of video files, not a stream of text that can be displayed as subtitles during a movie.

We don't have any specific information on converting MPLS files that are used with Mathcad, but if it's even possible to do so, you can probably do it with that same program, likely via some kind of File > Save as or Export menu.

Still Can't Open the File?

Something to consider if you still can't open your file even after trying the programs from above, is that you're misreading the file extension. Some file extensions belong to formats that are completely unrelated to the ones mentioned on this page, even if the suffixes do look a lot alike.

MPN (Mophun game file), MSP (Windows installer patch), MLP (Meridian Lossless Packing audio file), MPY (MicroPython module), and PML (Process Monitor log) are just a few examples, but many more could be given.

If you find out that the file extension really isn't MPLS, then research the real one to learn more about the format, which should help you find a program capable of opening or converting it.

Audio playlist files (.PLS) are similar to MPLS files in that they're also used as a playlist file, but don't confuse the two; different programs are used to open them, and they aren't used in the same context.

More Information on MPLS Files

If you're interested in some advanced reading, there's a lot more to learn over at Wikibooks on the structure and format of an MPLS Blu-ray playlist file.

Was this page helpful?