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What is an XSPF File?

By , About.com Guide

Question: What is an XSPF File?

Did you find an XSPF file on your computer and wonder what program should open it? Maybe someone emailed you an XSPF file but you're not sure how to use it. Perhaps you tried to open the XSPF file but Windows told you that it could not open it.

Before you can open an XSPF file (assuming it's even a file format that's intended to be viewed or edited), you'll need to determine what kind of file the .XSPF file extension refers to.

Answer: A file with the XSPF file extension is an XML Shareable Playlist Format file.

Other types of files may also use the XSPF file extension. If you know of any additional file formats that use the .XSPF extension, please let me know so I can update this information.

How To Open an XSPF File:

The easiest way to open an XSPF file is to double-click on it and let your PC decide which default application should open the file. If no program opens the XSPF file then you probably don't have an application installed that can view and/or edit XSPF files.

Warning: Take great care when opening executable file formats received via email or downloaded from websites you're not familiar with. See my List of Executable File Extensions for a listing of file extensions to avoid and why.

XSPF files are XML-based playlist files. You can read more about these kinds of playlists at the XIPH Open Source Community and see a list of media applications that support this format here.

If you know anything else useful about XSPF files, please let me know so I can update this page.

If you find that an application on your PC does try to open the XSPF file but it's the wrong application or if you would rather have another installed program open XSPF files, see my How to Change the Default Program for a Specific File Extension guide for making that change in Windows.

How to Convert an XSPF File:

There are two main ways to attempt to convert an XSPF file to another file type:

The first option involving opening the XSPF file in its native program is preferable because it's both easier and will probably result in a more accurate file conversion. Of course if you don't have a program that opens XSPF files, a third-party file conversion tool (the second option) could be very useful.

Important: You cannot usually change a file extension (like the XSPF file extension) to one that your computer recognizes and expect the newly renamed file to be usable. An actual file format conversion using one of the methods described above must take place in most cases.

Still Having Problems Opening or Using an XSPF File?

Let a community of computer support enthusiasts help out! Post in the PC Support Forum about what kinds of problems you're having with opening or using the XSPF file and we'll see what we can do to help.

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