MKV codec is basically designed to offer users compatibility with matroska files without any requirement to install additional software. If you prefer to play MKV video, your video player will need MKV codec to decompress MKV video.
To play MKV files in Windows, You can try MiniTool MovieMaker, a free, no ads, no bundle video editing software. As long as you have the best free MKV player, you can not only play MKV files easily but also convert MKV to MP4, AVI or other file formats. Main Features of the Best MKV Player for Windows 7/8/10. Mac Blu-ray Player is put atop the list of 2021 best free MKV file player for Mac simply because it can play virtually any video file you throw at it, even for the oddball video formats, ranging from AVI, DVD, Blu-ray, Video CD, MOV, FLV, MPEG, AAC, MP4, MP3, to RMVB, AC3. You can watch videos of high definition up to 4K. Mac Blu-ray Player. As one can immediately tell, Mac Blu-ray Player works great for pretty much all Macs. Not only can it play Blu-ray formats, but it has a long list of formats that it can easily play and of course, MKV files are among that list. A fairly great program that deserves a spot on the best MKV Players for Mac. Mkv Player For Mac free download - MKV File Player, Free Mac Bluray Player, MKV Codec, and many more programs. You can play MP4 files with any default media player. MKV (Matroska Multimedia Container) is a free, open-standard video container format. MKV files can contain an unlimited number of video, audio, and subtitle tracks in one file. That’s why this format is widely used for storing multimedia content such as movies and TV shows.
'I've got a lot of MKV files which won't play on my Windows Media Player. Is there a codec that will allow the playing of MKV in Windows 10 Movies and TV?'
'I end up having to use divx player plus to watch MKV videos, I would like to just use QuickTime 10, anyone know a free MKV codec package that will take care of this for me.'
MKV is open source, vastly outperforming the commercial counterparts, and is used much more for storing off-disc high-quality movie, TV shows, especially anime fansubbing scene, due to the holding of multiple audio tracks, titles, chapters, subtitles, menus, etc. Thus, the chances to get .mkv (matroska) files are extremely high, so is the playback failure, since MKV is not as industry standard as MP4. Accordingly, the demand for MKV codec download has risen in recent years, in a wish to play .mkv video on Mac, Windows or other platforms successfully.
See also: HEVC codec, best video codec, QuickTime codec
MKV Decoder and Encoder - MacX Video Converter Pro
Play MKV videos on Mac, Windows, TVs, iPhone, iPad, Android, game consoles, etc without downloading any codec by converting MKV to MP4, MOV, AVI, H.264, HEVC, etc. No more worrying about CPU consumption, crapware or malware bundling in heavyweight MKV codecs.
Table of Contents
How to Free Download MKV Codec Pack
You can search MKV codec on Google or software download sites to have a directly matroska codec download link. But the long-winded results can be confusing. Here we list top 3 reliable codec packs for MKV to give them to you.
- • ffdshow: It is a lightweight directshow decoder and VFW codec for playing most video formats including MKV. ffdshow is a lightweight MKV decode and encode pack with relatively small size, making it a good choice for seekers to download on Windows platform.
- • K-lite Codec Pack: It combines DirectShow filters, VFW/ACM codecs and tools, needed for encoding and decoding audio and video formats, such as MP4, MKV, AVI, etc. on Windows 10/8/7/XP (64 & 32 bit). You canl deal with the video playback error after downloading and installing the MKV codec pack. The latest version 13.6.0 also supports decoding and encoding HEVC.
- • CCCP Community Pack: CCCP is another great MKV codec pack we highly recommend if you want clean installs. It is a popular set of codecs that cover a large number of file formats, including MKV file format but free of any bundled nonsense. CCCP Community Pack is especially good for anime MKV playback. But you have to pay attention to this codec pack if you install all the included codecs/decoders as it may cause problem with other video software on your computer. Additionally, there are some other commercial codec packs available to download such as DivX Plus Pack.
Best Video Player For Mac
Alternatives to MKV codec: Play MKV File without Installing Codecs
The MKV codec pack can handle video playback error on Mac and Windows. But codec pack usually comes with a bunch of stuff that you don't really need rather than the MKV only, making it heavyweight and CPU consumption. Worse still, codecs are notorious for bundling crapware or even malware that leads to instability of your computer. There are still no codec supporting playing MKV files on mobiles. These are reasons we list using a MKV video converter or free MKV player with built-in support as an alternative to codec download.
No.4 VLC
It is available both for Windows and Mac platforms, where you can open MKV files without any error. VLC is always atop the best free MKV player list and well received for the large number of built-in video codecs including MKV. Note: VLC will stutter or crash or lead to choppy playback of HD MKV file. See how to troubelshoot MKV VLC playback problem >>
No.3 5KPlayer
5KPlayer is another great media player software that is updated constantly with an extensive video/audio codec support list, supporting even 8K, 5K and 4K UHD videos. Now, it ranks next to VLC on Softonic with most downloads, thanks to its ease of use and high quality.
No.2 DivX Plus Player
DivX Plus Player is famous for MKV playback without codec installation. Although it's a commercial software, this tool is worthy of download as it supports up to 8 MKV subtitles and audio tracks, offers audo-generated MKV chapters and is available for you to fast-forward and rewind MKV playback process.
No.1 MacX Video Converter Pro (Most Recommended)
For those who don't want to install any third-party MKV player or download MKV codec pack, there is a U turn - decode and reencodeMKV to other formats with a video converter, such as MacX Video Converter Pro. Focusing on video format transcoding, it converts MKV to MP4, MOV, AVI, H.264, H.265 etc and vice versa, thanks to the built-in 370+ audio/video codecs, including MKV, so you will free to play MKV on Mac, Windows, TV, iPhone, iPad, Android without any format issue.
MKV Decoder and Encoder - MacX Video Converter Pro
Play MKV videos on Mac, Windows, TVs, iPhone, iPad, Android, game consoles, etc without downloading any codec by converting MKV to MP4, MOV, AVI, H.264, HEVC, etc. No more worrying about CPU consumption, crapware or malware bundling in heavyweight MKV codecs.
MKV is a unique video container that contains video codec, audio codec, picture, subtitle tracks and more data. It is a file format for storing multimedia content like movies or TV shows. VLC is an open source media player that plays various videos, audio, DVDs, VCDs and more.
However, there are errors happening when playing MKV files with VLC Media Player. Here we would like to talk about practical methods to play MKV files in VLC Media Player on your Windows 10 computer and Mac.
VLC Play MKV
Part 1. How to Play MKV Files in VLC
VLC Media Player is a free and open source multimedia player that can play most codecs like MKV, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, H.264, WebM, WMV, MP3 and more. There are two to open MKV files in VLC Media Player by default. You can free download and install VLC Media Player from its official website in advance.
- 1. Right click on your MKV file, select Open with and choose VLC Media Player. Then the MKV file will be played in VLC Media Player.
- 2. Open VLC Media Player, click Media and select Open File option to find and open the MKV file on your computer. You can also drag and drop the MKV file to the VLC Media Player, it will be played automatically.
Part 2. Best Way to Fix VLC Not Playing MKV
Many users complain there are errors that cause VLC Media Player filed to play MKV file on their computer. Sometimes an error window comes out while playing the MKV file. It also shows a grey screen, or VLC crashes to exit while playing MKV.
The MKV files usually failed to play in VLC Media Player if there is the essential codec missing. Well, you can try to convert MKV to the popular MP4, MOV, FLV, 3GP, WMV or AVI format. AnyMP4 Video Converter Ultimate is a powerful video converter, which is capable of 500+ video or audio conversion at 70x faster speed. With it, you can convert MKV to MP4 or other popular video format and play it with its built-in player.
Key features of AnyMP4 Video Converter Ultimate:
- 1. Convert MKV to MP4, AVI, FLV, MOV for playback on VLC or other media players.
- 2. Crop, rotate, trim, merge, compress, watermark MKV with the built-in MKV editor.
- 3. Enhance MKV quality using advanced algorithm and add filters and effects to MKV.
- 4. Rip and copy any DVD to MPG, ISO or folder in 1:1 ratio without any quality loss.
- 5. Edit MKV files like add or remove subtitles or audio tracks from MKV.
Step 1: Import the MKV videos
Download the best MKV converter and install it on your PC or Mac. Click the Add Files button to add MKV video from your computer. You can add more than one MKV videos as you want.
Step 2: Select output format
Click on the Format icon on the right side of the video, and choose MP4 or other video format that is available for VLC.
If you want to edit the MKV file, you can click the Edit icon to rotate, crop, watermark, add subtitle, adjust effects and filters and more. You can preview the MKV file and cut the unwanted part before applying the changes.
Step 3: Convert MKV to MP4
After all settings done, click Convert All button to convert the MKV files to MP4. After a few seconds, the output folder will pop up and you can check the converted MKV file.
AnyMP4 Video Converter Ultimate ensures a stable MKV to MP4 conversion. After that, you can find the converted MKV file and right click on it to open with VLC Media Player.
Part 3. Play MKV with Best VLC Alternative
Sometimes the MKV files cannot be played due to the playback problem in VLC. To avoid this happens again, you can try AnyMP4 Blu-ray Player as the best alternative to VLC Media Player. It supports playing common videos, Blu-ray/DVD disc, folders and ISO files. It lets you play MKV files without relying on VLC Media Player.
Step 1: Free download, install and launch AnyMP4 Blu-ray Player on your computer.
Step 2: Click Open File in the main interface and upload the MKV file into the program. You can also click File > Open File on the top menu to upload the video. After loading, the MKV file will be played automatically.
Part 4. FAQs of VLC Playing MKV
1. Why does VLC not playing MKV?
Perhaps there is no proper codec in your MKV files that match with the VLC Media Player. You can install the missing codec on your PC.
2. What can play MKV files?
Mkv Player Windows 7
There are many MKV players available for Windows and Mac. For example, AnyMP4 Blu-ray Player, SMPlayer, Media Player Classic, JetVideo, MediaMonkey Free, VLC Media Player, DivX Player, KMPlayer, 5KPlayer, DAPlayer etc. Programs that open pcb file.
3. What is MKV video format?
MKV, the Matroska Multimedia Container, is a free, open-standard container format. Similar to AVI, MP4, etc., it can hold an unlimited number of video, audio, picture, subtitle and tracks in movies or TV shows. Unlike MP4 or AVI, MKV is entirely open in specification for private and commercial use.
4. Can VLC convert MKV to MP4?
Mkv File Player For Mac Free Online
Yes. You can convert MKV to MP4 with VLC Media Player. Open VLC Media Player on your PC or Mac. Click Media from the top menu and select Convert/Save option. Click Add button to upload the MKV file and select Convert/Save to enter the Convert window. Then select Tools to open the Profile Edition window and select MP4 as the output format. After that, choose the Start button to begin converting MKV to MP4.
Conclusion
By using the default method, you can play MKV files in VLC Media Player smoothly. If the playback failed due to some errors, you can try the recommended Video Converter Ultimate to convert the MKV video to popular video format like MP4, and then play the converted MKV video in VLC Media Player.
Mkv File Player App
Still have problems when playing MKV with VLC Media Player? Leave your queries in the comment area.