MKV is an open source video format, which is frequently used for videos with high quality. It contains video, audio, photos, subtitles and more other files within one single. How to play MKV media files on Windows and Mac? What are the recommended free MKV file players?
Vlc Media Player Mkv Codec
Devices and Mac OS X version. VLC media player requires Mac OS X 10.7.5 or later. It runs on any 64bit Intel-based Mac. Previous devices are supported by older releases.
- Convert MKV to VLC Formats. First free download and install MKV to VLC Converter on your Mac or Windows, and then launch it. Now just follow the step by step guide to convert MKV to VLC Player. Step 1 Import MKV files Just drag and drop MKV file to the main interface of the program to add MKV file.
- This is because MKV is a container format that may contain the media player unsupported video or audio codec. To solve VLC not playing MKV problem caused by unaccepted media format, you can install MKV codec pack or convert MKV to the best media format for VLC player using MKV video converter.
There are some media players support MKV video, which have no the function to support any popular media file like the best MKV media player software. The article shares 5 free best MKV player is able to play MKV file (matroska video), MKA file (matroska video), MKS (subtitles), MK3D (stereoscopic/3D video), 4K MKV and MKV videos at any resolution. Just check out more about the recommended programs and choose a desired one accordingly.
Part 1: Free Blu-Ray Player
When you want to play MKV files on Windows 10, you should make sure the media player support high quality video codecs, Free Blu-Ray Player is the recommended MKV media player that you can play videos, HD videos, DVDs and Blu-Ray discs and keep100% image quality on your computer.
- 1. Capable to play most of video formats, including MKV, MP4, AVI, TS, etc.
- 2. Watch the latest Blu-Ray discs/folders/ISO files and DVDs with ease.
- 3. Multiple screen modes with full, half, normal, double to enjoy the movies.
- 4. Capture the favorite snapshot while you watch the MKV video files.
Add MKV video into MKV player
Once you download and install the MKV media player, you can launch the program and click the 'Open File' button to select the MKV video. You can also click the 'File' item at the top of the toolbar to open the drop-down list and then select the 'Open File…' option to add MKV file to the program.
Play MKV files and take snapshot
After you add the MKV video into the program, the MKV video player will start to play the MKV videos automatically. You can adjust the playback mode and other tools to enjoy the MKV video. When watching the MKV video, you can capture the favorite video image through the 'Snapshot' function.
Adjust the video effect to be perfect
You can adjust the video and audio effect to get the perfect audiovisual effect. Just adjust the audio track, channel and device by opening the 'Audio' drop-down button, and adjust the video track and screen size by opening the 'Video' drop-down button. All the settings are shown on top of the toolbar.
Part 2: VLC Media Player
VLC Media Player is a popular MKV player on Windows, Mac, Android and iOS devices. If you are not satisfied with the user interface of the program, you can customize the player skins and other additions with ease. Moreover, the MKV media player also provides lots of advanced features; such as enhance the video and audio quality.
Pros:
- 1. Built-in audio that delivers high quality audio from audio stations.
- 2. Multiple editing features to crop, geometry, colors, auto-light and more.
- 3. Convert the MKV to other video formats for Android, iPhone and others.
Cons:
- 1. Do not work with Blu-Ray discs, RM videos and DVDs with DRM protection.
- 2. Difficult to adjust the playing modes and the position of the loaded MKV files.
Cons:
- 1. Do not work with Blu-Ray discs, RM videos and DVDs with DRM protection.
- 2. Difficult to adjust the playing modes and the position of the loaded MKV files.
Part 3: KMPlayer
When you have some 3D MKV or 4K MKV files, KMPlayer is a recommended MKV player to enjoy the videos on computer. In additional to playing large MKV files, you can also adjust the video screen and audio with advanced image processing functions, such as noise reduction and super high-speed mode during the MKV playback process.
Pros:
- 1. Support matrix function and normalizer function for internal sound codec.
- 2. Play all the MKV files, such as 4K, 8K, 60FPS and other HQ contents.
- 3. Optimized for the low end PC through hardware acceleration function.
Cons:
- 1. Complicated context menu that is difficult to master for the beginners.
- 2. Advertisements and slow playback speed of the free MKV player.
Part 4: GOMPlayer
Whether you need to play back videos shot by yourself, or enjoy MKV videos from YouTube and other online streaming sites. GOMPlayer is one of the most mass appealed MKV media players. It is able to capture screenshots, repeat custom segments of any media file, control the playback speed and add video effects.
Pros:
- 1. Use the search facility to track and download the desired video files.
- 2. Support most of the video formats as well as 360-degree VR videos.
- 3. GOM Remote that control the desktop software from the application.
Cons:
- 1. It does not work with MKV file subtitle and any audio file that is missing.
- 2. Videos played on a network will lag and be choppy with the free MKV player.
Part 5: DivX Plus Player
DivX Plus Player, as its name shows, is the DivX player. Besides, it is another free MKV video player that you can enjoy MKV and AVI videos on the browser. It has MKV features such as subtitles, multiple audio tracks and 5.1-channel AAC audio. Moreover, it provides an array of options to customize the videos according to special requirements with a high quality.
Pros:
- 1. Watch HD MKV videos in full screen without any change in the quality.
- 2. Convert any video file to either MKV or DivX file formats for your device.
- 3. Support multiple subtitles, audio tracks, smooth FF/RW and more others.
Cons:
- 1. Associated with video formats without asking for permission beforehand.
- 2. The MKV media player supports MKV, DivX and limited video formats.
Part 6. FAQs of Playing MKV Video on Computer
1. What is MKV File Format?
MKV is not a compressed format, but a media file of Matroska, which encapsulate a variety of different encoded videos and more than 16 different formats of audio and different language subtitle streams into a Matroska media file. The greatest feature of MKV is able to contain a variety of different types of encoded videos, audio and subtitle streams. MKV is different from DivX and XviD, as well as audio formats such as MP3, OGG. The MKV is only 'combination' and 'package' of these audio and video formats. In other words, MKV is a container format, which common to AVl, VOB, MPEG, and RM format. But they are not open enough and have obsolete structure, which make the birth of the new multimedia package format - MKV. In order to enjoy the MKV files with a high quality, you should choose some MKV media players with excellent quality instead.
2. Can Blu-ray Player play MKV file?
Free Blu-ray Player let you enjoy MKV files with excellent quality. Also, it supports playing MP4, AVI, TS, Blu-ray/DVD discs, folders or ISO files.
3. Can VLC play MKV videos?
VLC Media Player is a popular MKV player on Windows, Mac, iPhone and Android devices. It can recognize almost all video formats, including MKV. Also, you can convert them to popular video formats like MP4.
4. Does MX player play MKV files?
MX Player is a popular MKV player for Android. If you have installed MX player on your Android device, you can play MKV movies without conversion on Android.
Conclusion
When you want to enjoy the MKV files for free, you can try the recommended best MKV media players from the article. Most of the programs support MKV subtitles, MKV audios as well as high quality MKV files. Moreover, you can also find some versatile MKV players that play DVDs and Blu-Ray discs with ease, Free Blu-ray Player is one of the best choices you have to take into consideration. Just feel free to share more information about the your favorite MKV players in the comments.
What do you think of this post?
Excellent
Rating: 4.7 / 5 (138 Votes)
VLC Media Player can be a convenient tool to provide all kinds of multimedia playback solutions, including some uncommon digital formats, like MKV files. However, while using VLC Media Player to watch MKV files, some unfriendly issues may happen. Such as MKV files may come out to be black, or the files are presented without audio. Even more, sometimes the MKV files are showed that the original files have been damaged which may result in the direct failure on VLC Media Player. Have you ever encountered such problems while using VLC Media Player to play MKV files, if your answer is positive, then the following parts should not be missed.
Part 1: VLC Player MKV Black Screen Issue
Once you have inserted the targeted MKV files to the VLC Media Player, all of sudden, the screen tended to be black so that nothing can be showed then, instead you may only hear the sound in the MKV content. Why does this issue happen frequently on your computer? Actually, the reasons vary from one to another. Generally speaking, you can find the causes from the following aspects; also the solutions would be give accordingly.
No. 1 The original MKV file has been damaged.
Most of the MKV files you have obtained were downloaded from some websites. If the files have not been protected in a decent way, then it may result in the damage of the MKV content during the downloading process. Specifically, it may only have the sound content without the picture content. You can fix the corrupted MKV file first.
Solution 1: You can check whether the failure of black MKV screen was caused by the damaged files or not in an easy way. Simply, you can play the MKV files on another media player, if the MKV content can be played properly on another media player, then you can confirm that the MKV black screen issue was caused by the damaged files. If it is falling to this case, try to download the MKV video from another link and make sure no virus can invade the file.
No. 2 The display adapter drive is outdated.
MKV is not as common as other digital formats, like AVI, MP4 and so on. So, if your computer is in an very older version, then the display adapter drive may be outdated so that if may fail to support the new MKV format in a proper way.
Solution 2. Update display adapter drive immediately. An efficient way to solve the problem is to upgrade the Windows version accordingly. If the MKV files can be played correctly after the Windows version has been upgraded, then you can confirm the failure is caused by the hardware of your computer. Furthermore, try to download the relevant display adapter drive via downloading from the Internet and purchasing a legal adapter drive program. Then following the installation process on the screen to complete the upgrading process.
Vlc Media Player Mkv Codec
No. 3 VLC Media Player has problems in the streaming function
If your VLC Media Player has not been upgraded for a long time, or some missing codecs were not installed immediately, the streaming function of the media player may not be enabled. If you have tried the above two solutions mentioned above and nothing worked, then you can follow the steps below to enable 'Open GL' in the preferences.
Solution 3. Enabled 'Open GL' in the preferences.
Step 1. Open VLC preferences. Open VLC Media Player and click 'Tools' and then select 'Preferences' from the drop down list.
Step 2. Tutorial adobe premiere pro cs6 mac. Enter the Video panel. Under the 'Preferences' panel, you can simply click on the 'Video' tab.
Step 3. Select 'OpenGL video output' from the output drop down list. Once entered the 'Video' panel, you can click on the 'Output' drop down list to select the 'OpenGL video output' option. Then save the change.
Mac trojan removal tool. Step 4. Restart VLC Media Player to activate the change and load the MKV file to the media player one more time.
Part 2: Fix Damaged MKV File with VLC
If the failure of MKV files on VLC Media Player was caused by the damaged file, then you can also refer to VLC to fix the damaged MKV files accordingly. Sometimes, the MKV files can also be damaged due to the sudden power failure, the abruptly switching off the device, or improper media player used for playing the MKV file and so on. Anyway, any incorrect control the media player and the MKV files may result in the damage. Now, the main duty is to fix the damaged MKV file with VLC. How to fix MKV file on VLC? Please refer to the steps below.
Step 1. Download VLC and update VLC Media Player to the latest version if possible.
Step 2. Run the VLC Media Player program and click 'Media' to locate the 'Convert / Save' option.
Step 3. Add MKV video files into the 'File Selection' section. Click 'Add' button to load the MKV file to the section. Then click 'Convert' button below.
Step 4. Select the 'Browse' button to input a destination path for the damaged MKV file to be stored.
Step 5. Select an output video format for the damaged MKV file, such as AVI.
Step 6. Click 'Start' to initiate the conversion from MKV to AVI process. Finally, try to restart the VLC Media Player and activate the updates immediately.
Part 3: VLC MKV Plays No Audio
Furthermore, sometimes your VLC Media Player may present the MKV files without audio, instead you can only see the picture of the MKV file. Why does this happen? You can try the following solutions to resolve the problem.
Solution 1. Reset VLC Media Player Audio preferences
Try to rest the VLC Media Player Audio Preferences to update the settings and make it work. You can simply open VLC Media Player and click on 'Tools-Preferences'. Then click the 'Audio' option and click 'Reset Preferences' to complete the audio resetting process.
Solution 2. Install MKV codec for your media player
Lacking the MKV codec, the media player will not play the MKV files in the correct way. There are many codec packs you can get and download from online. If your media player doesn't contain the MKV codec, the most urgent thing you need to do is to download an MKV codec immediately. Among various MKV codecs, K-Lite Codec Pack is the one that you can refer to. As one of the most popular and comprehensive codec packs, it can provide nearly all the audio and video codec. Download it from the website and then unzip the pack to install it on your PC by following the instructions.
Solution 3. Update VLC Media Player to the latest version
Sometimes, no audio sound may be caused by the outdated VLC Media Player version. In such a way, you can fix the problem by updating the VLC to the latest version. Locate the 'Help-Check for updates' under the 'Tools' preferences and then click 'Recheck version' option to update the VLC then.
Part 4: Free MKV Alternative for VLC
Alternatively, asides from VLC Media Player, Leawo Blu-ray Player can be your excellent choice to play MKV files without any buffering and unfriendly failure on your media player.
1. As a totally free media player, Leawo Blu-ray Player is able to play more than 180 types of multimedia formats with the best output video and audio quality, including Blu-ray, DVD, CD, HD (4K), ISO file with AVI, MPEG, WMV, ASF, FLV, MKV/MKA and other popular formats supported.
2. With advanced image and audio processing technology, Leawo Free Blu-ray Player software could provide you quality-lossless image for even 4K video playback, HD 4K video, stereo audio enjoyment, all regions free DVD decryption and user-oriented playback control.
3. Besides, Leawo Blu-ray Player's practical bonus features including useful power manager, custom skin / language / background, snap screenshots, especially virtual remote controller make it a better choice for all playback choice.
4. Furthermore, within Leawo Blu-ray Player, you could obtain the personalized settings according to your preference and all the settings could be done automatically. The instructions for playing are quite easy.
5. It also provides Blu-ray to MKV converting features convert Blu-ray/DVD disc, folder and ISO image to MKV with lossless quality. Capable of converting protected Blu-ray/DVD discs of all regions and from all movie studios, this program could also preserve all the original subtitles and audio tracks for output MKV.
For the detailed instructions on how to play video with Leawo Blu-ray Player, it is quite easy. What you need to do is to download the player and install it on your computer. Later, just import the video to the program and then you can see the video on the player easily. Just have faith in Leawo Blu-ray Player. You can completely achieve what you want with the help of these programs. Just take a try and you will obtain the fantastic viewing experiences.
