AYL File

What are AYL files and how to open them

Are you having problems opening an AYL file or are you simply curious about its contents? We're here to explain the properties of these files and provide you with software that can open or handle your AYL files.

What is an AYL file?

An .AYL file is an Ay Emul Play List file.

Ay Emul play List files store playlists made by the Ay_Emul emulator so that a sequence of music items and their specific settings can be saved and loaded without loss of detail. These files are created by Ay_Emul when a user arranges several AY/YM module, audio, or register dump tracks into a playlist and wants to preserve not just the filenames but also timing, playback order, track-specific metadata and playback parameters. The playlist format supports full detail that generic playlist formats like M3U cannot capture, especially when individual items contain more than one tune or custom internal settings.

Ay_Emul writes AYL files via its Save List feature in the Playlist window; the emulator reads them back to restore the exact state of a playlist including item order, track lengths, error messages or missing files, and global playlist behavior such as loop or random modes. These files help when repeatedly playing collections of AY/YM-chip-based music with particular preferences, or when exporting or converting tracks in batch, because all playlist-level details are preserved.

AYL files begin with a fixed header string that identifies the file as an Ay Emul playlist. At offset zero there is an ASCII signature reading "ZXSpectrumSoundChipEmulatorPlayListFilev" (in hexadecimal: 5A58 2053 70… up through "File v").

How to open AYL files

Important: Different programs may use files with the AYL file extension for different purposes, so unless you are sure which format your AYL file is, you may need to try a few different programs.

We have not yet verified any programs for Windows that work with this specific file format. If you know one, please use the 'Suggest a program' link below. Thanks!

Last updated: August 22, 2026

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