A .wpl file, also known as a Windows Media Player playlist file, is a text-based file that contains a list of media files, such as audio and video files, that are organized in a specific order for playback in Windows Media Player. The file extension .wpl stands for "Windows Media Player Playlist."

.wpl files can be opened and edited using:

Technically, .wpl files are built on the and use an XML-based structure. If you open a .wpl file in a basic text editor like Notepad, you will see lines of code that include:

The .wpl was the sophisticated cousin. It was dynamic. If you moved a file on your computer, Windows Media Player could sometimes update the .wpl file to find it again (a feature called "Find Album Info"). It supported metadata and ordering in ways that older formats struggled with.

The sequence in which the files should be played.