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.

• Mkv Player Windows 7
• Vlc For Mac
• Windows Media Player For Mac

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. 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. Jan 12, 2021 The 5K Player is known to be as the best free UHD MKV Player that you can have on your Mac. And by using this tool, you will be able to open and read formats that are in WebM, 3GP, FLV, WMV, AVI, MP4, DivX,.rm,.rmvb, and HD codes. Elmedia Player is our number one choice and a go-to player on Mac — not only because it can play MKV, but because it can play virtually anything, from FLV to MOV to FLAC to Blu-Ray. In fact, Elmedia makes you forget there’s file format compatibility to take care of, it just works.

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?

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.

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?

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.

Still have problems when playing MKV with VLC Media Player? Leave your queries in the comment area.

MKV is not as widespread as MP4. You can see many HD movies and TV shows in MKV format. But not all media players are compatible with MKV videos. Actually, most Windows and Android devices don’t support videos in the MKV format by default. You need to install the related codec to get MKV playback in WMP and other default players. If you want to play MKV videos on your computer successfully, a good MKV player really matters. Here are some highly-recommended MKV video players for Windows and Mac in the market. You can read and compare to find your best MKV player here.

Part 1: Lossless MKV Player for Windows and Mac

The default Windows Media Player 12 and QuickTime Player don’t support MKV format directly. If you want to play MKV files without losing quality, Vidmore Player can be your first choice. You can play popular and rare media formats losslessly within Vidmore Player. The HD image quality and high sound effect can improve your audiovisual experience a lot.

The MKV player for Windows and Mac computer doesn’t take much storage space and computer source. Thus, you can get smooth MKV playback. No lagging, crashing, freezing or not working issues. By the way, you can play any Blu-ray and DVD disc within Vidmore Player seamlessly.

1. Play MKV, MOV, AVI, FLV, M4V, etc. 4K UHD and 1080p/720p HD videos smoothly.
2. Adjust image size, screen size and video effects during MKV video playback.
3. Advanced video and audio decoding technologies for smooth playback.
4. Intuitive and user-friendly interface for both Windows and Mac users.

Step 1: Free download Vidmore Player. Launch the MKV file player after the installation. Choose Open File and import your MKV video.

Step 2: After loading, the MKV video will play automatically. You can use the options near the bottom to control the entire playback process. Click the Screenshot icon beside to take a quick snapshot while watching MKV if necessary.

Step 3: You can also use the options from the top toolbar to control the playback settings as well. The Controls, Audio, Video and Tools drop-down lists are available.

Part 2: Top 7 Free MKV Video Players for Windows and Mac

If you want to get a MKV player freeware, you can take a look at the following tools. Just see what you can and cannot get from those free MKV players.

Top 1: VLC Media Player

VLC Media Player is a popular media player on multiplatform. It can be your free MKV player app for iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac and Linux. But sometimes you cannot use VLC to play MKV files under the H.265 codec. During this time, you can install the related VLC codec, or you can convert H.265 to H.264 to play MKV with VLC.

Pros:

1. VLC Media Player is a cross-platform video player free and safe to download.
2. Apply video editing effects and change video formats within VLC.
3. It is workable to use VLC to rip a DVD.

Cons:

1. Not all MKV files can be played with VLC Media Player.
2. The user interface is not user friendly.

Top 2: KMPlayer

KMPlayer is also a representative free MKV player for Windows. You can play videos in MKV, AVI, FLV, MP4 and MPEG1/2/4 formats. During the MKV playback, you can adjust brightness, saturation and other video settings. Its VCD and DVD playback support is also good to use.

Pros:

1. Support most popular video and audio formats with the internal codecs.
2. Control video playback and visualizations.

Cons:

1. The Windows MKV player freeware contains ads.
2. Fail to play VP9-enabled MKV files.

Top 3: GOM Player

GOM Player can play not only the common downloaded MKV videos, but also some damaged MKV videos. There is no need to download extra codec or repair pack. Well, just like KMPlayer, this South Korean MKV video player doesn’t support VP9-encodeed MKV videos either.

Pros:

1. GOM Player is a free video player that can play MKV video with H.264, HEVC and VP8 codecs on Windows.
2. Offer the default codec searching and finding function.

Cons:

1. The GOM Player installation package contain bundled software.
2. No VP9-encoded MKV video playback support.

Top 4: MPlayerX

It is a free MKV player for Mac. You can get full control of MKV video playback with MPlayerX. You can set gestures to control how your MKV video play in MPlayerX. Moreover, MPlayerX can detect and convert subtitle file into your video automatically.

Pros:

1. The free MKV file player for Mac can be controlled by Apple remote.
2. Change frame size, aspect ratio, volume and other playback settings.

Cons:

Mkv Player Windows 7

1. Require high CPU usage.
2. MPlayerX crashes more often than other free Mac video players.

Top 5: PotPlayer

PotPlayer has an outstanding GPU hardware decoding. Thus, the video crashing problem is hardly reported by PotPlayer users. Moreover, you can get smooth MKV playback with DXVA, Nvidia CUDA and many technologies.

Pros:

1. Less MKV video lagging, freezing or stuttering issues.
2. Use minimum CPU usage on your Mac computer.

Cons:

1. The PotPlayer setup process is not easy.
2. PotPlayer advanced settings are designed for advanced and professional users mainly.

Top 6: RealPlayer

RealPlayer offers a free media player version for Windows, iOS and Android. You can play MKV and common video files with RealPlayer. The RealPlayer discover can help you find some celebrities and people. Though RealPlayer commercial versions are not as good as the old versions.

Pros:

1. Play the downloaded MKV videos up to 720p with RealPlayer free.
2. Discover and identify celebrities in videos.

Cons:

1. The free RealPlayer version contain ads.
2. RealPlayer crashes occasionally. The new RealPlayer update is not as good as the old versions.

Top 7: VSeven MKV Player

With the built-in MKV codec, you can use the free MKV Player to play MKV videos on Windows smoothly. Moreover, you can tailor your video in different types. It is also supported to quickly find a file within its built-in search engine.

Pros:

1. Play and manage videos in MKV, AVI, MP4 and common formats.
2. Create a playlist with MKV videos in different moods and preferences.

Cons:

1. Outdated interface.
2. No advanced video playback features.

Part 3: FAQs of MKV Players

Can you play MKV on Windows?

The default Windows MKV player is Windows Media Player. There is no such a demuxer that support the MKV container. To get the MKV playback on Windows, you can download K-Lite or CCCP codecs. As for Windows 10 users, there is a new update in MKV support. However, you still cannot play MKV files on Windows 10 occasionally.

Can you play MKV with QuickTime Player?

No. QuickTime Player doesn’t support the MKV format natively. You need to use a MKV player for Mac to playing MKV files. Or you can install a MKV player extension to get in-browser MKV playback as well. Besides, converting MKV to MOV is also a good solution.

How to play MKV files on iPhone?

Vlc For Mac

The default Apple video players don’t support the MKV video format. You can convert MKV files or use a MKV player app on iPhone. If you insist on the MKV playback on iPad or iPhone, you can use MKPlayer, Infuse, PlayerXtreme Media Player, etc.

Windows Media Player For Mac

Though MKV is not widely supported by default media players on Windows, Mac and iOS devices, you can still use a MKV media player to solve the problem. The above programs are excellent free and paid MVK video players for desktop users. You can choose any tool to play and watch MKV videos on your Windows or Mac computer. If you have no idea which one to choose, just download Vidmore Player and start its free trial. It is worth to have a try.