How to open .PLS files on Linux
To open .PLS files on Linux, open the .PLS file with a media player that supports playlists, or use “Open With” from your file manager to pick one.
Step-by-step instructions
- Open the .PLS file with a media player that supports playlists, or use “Open With” from your file manager to pick one.
- If it fails, open the .PLS in a text editor and use the File1= (and subsequent File2=, etc.) entries to open the actual stream URL or local audio file.
- If your desktop misidentifies the file type, ensure your system MIME database recognizes .pls as audio/x-scpls (as per shared-mime-info).
Common issues
It opens as text or in the wrong app (no playback)
A .PLS is a playlist, so it may default to a text editor or an app that doesn’t import playlists.
- Use “Open with” to choose a media player that supports playlist import.
- If needed, open the .PLS in a text editor and manually open the File1= URL/path in your media player.
Playlist loads but nothing plays
The referenced stream URL may be offline, blocked, or the local file paths no longer exist on your device.
- Open the .PLS in a text editor and check the File1= (and other FileN=) entries for valid URLs/paths.
- If it’s a local path, confirm the audio files exist in the same location on your current device; if it’s a URL, try opening the URL directly in your player or a browser to confirm it’s reachable.
Entries are missing or the playlist is malformed
Some tools expect the INI-style structure (including the [playlist] header and numbered fields) and may ignore incorrectly formatted lines.
- Verify the file starts with [playlist] and includes File1=... (and optionally NumberOfEntries=...).
- If you edited it, keep the numbering consistent (File1, File2, etc.) and save it as plain text.
Wrong file type detection on Linux desktops
Desktop environments often rely on shared-mime-info globs and “magic” (e.g., the [playlist] header) to classify files.
- Confirm the file really is a PLS playlist by checking for the [playlist] header.
- Update/refresh your MIME database if your environment is outdated or customized, so .pls maps to audio/x-scpls.
Still can’t open your .PLS file?
Recover a deleted or lost .PLS file
If the file was deleted by mistake or the drive was formatted, data recovery software may be able to get it back. Stop writing to that drive right away, because new data can overwrite what you want to recover.
Windows software that recovers deleted or lost files from PCs and external drives such as HDDs, SSDs, USB drives and memory cards, after deletion, formatting or a crash.
Wondershare RecoveritWindows and Mac software that recovers deleted or lost files from computers and external drives such as HDDs, SSDs, USB drives and SD cards.
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Security note
A .PLS file is plain text, but it can point your player to remote URLs; review the FileN= entries before opening if the playlist came from an untrusted source.